FateDraft
by Eyeshield
Summary: Shirou Emiya has become a dimensional traveler, one who walks the omniverse to save worlds. His next job brings him to a world based on something that has always unnerved him: Gaming. Ratings may change to M.
1. Ryuusei Start!

**Fate/Neptunia**

_Ah yes. Imagine it: Shirou Emiya, Magus Killer, epic chef and clueless chick magnet finding himself in a place filled with the moe anthropomorphizations of every facet of the Game Industry._

_Yeah._

_This is the Ataraxia, yes, ATARAXIA Shirou, one who has become a dimensional traveler and, as one, has been shown all three routes of the VN, as well as other parts of the Nasuverse and many other universes._

_Not to mention all the training becoming a DT involves._

_I own no franchise I reference in this series._

_Let us begin!_

**STORY START**

OK, let me get this straight.

I've gone through a brutal tournament that's changed my life, a illusionary version of it made to keep a precious woman alive, then was forced by my friends to become one who walks all of the omniverse to save worlds or such, a Dimensional Traveler.

Wow.

I was shown all the possibilities of that war. I was trained for months. I was made to go to the other, unknown parts of my own universe. I was sent to many other unique worlds to help answer their plights.

And then, there was this one.

I was made to study, observe and analyze a part of many people's lives that I have ignored and consequently forsaken:

Video games.

Why?

I was sent to this world, the dubiously and painfully named planet of Gamindustri.

Why?

Because I have experience with women, they said.

I sometimes question the reliability of my superiors in my line of work.

I arrive at my destination, the blue pillar that teleports us dissipating.

I take a look around and the first thing I notice is something peculiar.

"Wait a minute what's that over there- Oh. Great. Floating landmasses in the sky."

Nothing incredibly unusual, all things given.

The one I'm currently in seems to be in the center, a capital of sorts, with an incredibly advanced city. The buildings are all bluish silver, sleek and probably filled to the brim with technology.

"Hmm... No leads now... so I guess this is my stop."

I make my way towards the city.

***SCENE BREAK***

The townspeople don't seem to be incredibly happy, for some odd reason. At any rate, first things first, I take a look at the weapon shop to familiarize myself with the arms here and to... make a few acquisitions so to speak.

"_Iterrashai,_ what can we do for you?"

Convenient… They speak Japanese here.

I tell them that I'm just looking around, and I examine the weapons. They are of fine quality, the many broadswords and katanas having been forged from fine steel. The guns and unusual claws don't appeal to me much…

"Um, excuse me sir, what are those bottles with liquids for?"

The shopkeeper smiles at me. "Oh, those are for our doctors! They're combat medics you see, so when they venture into dangerous places, they always bring a special syringe with them! Instead of paying for a higher-quality weapon, they pay for the more powerful substances which they inject!"

Interesting... So even the doctors have some combat experience...

"Ah… Thank you very much. I'll be coming back when I have more time and money. _Ja matta."_

As I take a look around town again, I find a very peculiar sight.

A girl with long, flowing pink hair, is walking around. She has a white blouse, a black hairband and long white boots.

I get an odd feeling from this girl, as though I'm supposed to become friends with her for some strange reason…

"Um, excuse me, can I ask for directions to the nearest inn?"

The girl looks over to me, and she smiles and politely gives me directions. "Oh, it's nearby! It's on the way my house, so I guess you can come with me, if you want to."

I smile at her and thank her. "Well, it seems we'll be temporary neighbors then." I extend my hand. "I'm Shirou. Shirou Emiya. It's very nice to meet you..."  
The girl smiles at me and cheerfully replies, "Oh, I'm Compa, a nurse in training! It's nice to meet you, Shirou-san!"

... Wait, Compa? Pink hair, white clothes...

What do you know, I really WILL have to be with this girl, she's freaking Compile Heart!

I hide my wincing. It would be unfair to make her feel bad about something that is the fault of people who made me waste my time on game history just to make me groan in suffering like this. "Likewise, Compa-san. I guess we'll be walking together for a while."

I think I'll have some information gathering while I walk to the inn. "Ah, Compa, I'm a bit new to this place... What's it called?"

She stares at me, bewildered. "What, you don't know? This is, like, one of only four countries in Gamindustri!"

... Wait.

There are only four?

"I-I'm sorry about that... I'm a bit... uninformed when it comes to such matters..."

I need to think up a better alibi soon...

Compa's still staring at me. "How could you not know... Oh, you poor thing..."

Great. Now she thinks I'm "special."

She explains to me anyway, at least. "Oh well, nothing to it... This is the landmass of Planeptune, the most technologically advanced out of the four nations, the others being Lastation, Leanbox and Lowee!"

Playstation, Xbox, Wii... Oh, right. But what's Planeptune though... Even though the pun is horrible... "Ah, I see. It really is progressive... But do the people have problems around here?"

She nods at me. "Monster attacks have become more intense... Even the military can't hold them back for long." She then becomes forlorn. "Oh... if only the CPUs would descend soon..."

I latch onto the subject, quite curious indeed. "CPUs?" She nods again. "Console Patron Units, the four goddesses of each nation. Once they descend from heavenly Celestia, they'll be able to lead the people into a better and brighter future!"

No emotion is on my face. I have a sort of... disrespect for the gods, you could say. All I've experienced of them, at least in my world, is that they are arrogant, uncaring and wholly unconcerned of the "inferior beings" they are supposed to guide.

Poor Berserker. Though he may have tried to kill me several times, I pity him. His power and strength, his blessing and curse of immortality and all of his legendary life was filled to the brim with sorrow caused by the irresponsible divine beings that created him. And yet, despite his insanity, he cared for Illya, and after the War the monstrouous Servant even helped us break out of the endless loop...

And that's why I don't like many gods.

But I'm willing to give these ones a chance, at least. Good ones have made themselves known, so I can give them the benefit of the doubt.

"Well, let see if they don't." This could very well be what I was sent to answer. If I can find the cause of these attacks and stop them, maybe I'll be able to get away with this before Saber and the rest notice I'm gone over the next twelve hours... I mean three weeks.

"Oh, we're here!"

The hotel, I suppose, is also tall and sleek, perhaps about 10 stories. I suppose I can handle this.

"My house is just on the outskirts of the city, over that way. If you ever have any problems, you can visit me!"

Well, she certainly quite caring. "I'll try to stop by. Well, see you later, Compa-san."  
She nods at me and gleefully says, "You too, Shirou-san!"

As she leaves, I enter the inn and with my meager starter cache of credits, the currency of this world, I pay for a small room.

The room is as high-tech as I expected, with automatic doors and all the works. Ah well. I don't have much to do, so I think I'll just have a little nap.

***SCENE BREAK***

_"Hello?"_

A mysterious voice awakens me... no, wait, I appear to be still asleep, because my field of vision is fully obscured by darkness, a serene echo resounding throughout the ether.

"Who are you? Show yourself."

The voice becomes downcast and apologetic. _"Forgive me... I want to make myself known, but, well... I simply cannot."_

Assuming that I myself have a form, I'd probably be narrowing my eyes at her. "Who are you then? What is it you want of me?" Someone who can infiltrate and communicate with me through my dreams... This could prove to be very dangerous. So far, the only things preventing me from using my failsafe in protecting myself from all mindspace invaders is the sincerity of her tone of voice, though the lack of ill will may or may not be deceptive.

Case in point, her reply. _"I am Histoire. I am the world. The world is me. I am a tome of the world. A personification of it, and yet a part of it."_

My eyebrows actually rise a little at that. "Wait... a sentient core of this world?" That makes me a little uneasy, truth be told. Like gods, the experiences I have with beings like these are mostly unpleasant in a way. The Root of the World may be responsible for most of my happiness in life, but it's also responsible for many of the unfortunate, dangerous times as well. I've nearly been screwed over by it probably more than any other person alive in my world.

Except for Archer. And yet he's me too...

Good God, no wonder his luck is E, the Root hates us... me... whatever.

_"Somewhat. Suffice it to say that I need help."_

OK, that could be bad or good. "Go on."

This time, she pleads with me. _"The world... is on the brink of disaster. __Monsters overrun the world. _The Console War, lasting for countless eons, has come to a standstill. The CPUs have descended from Celestia..." Here, she pauses. _"But they are divided. They have gone their separate ways, focusing on advancing their own nations. An even then... I have lost contact with them."_

I remain silent. I become more convinced of my original views, of gods being arrogant and uncaring.

_"And yet... there is still hope."_

I can already see where this is going. "What do you want me to do?

This Histoire continues. _"You... You are special. Out of all the beings I have seen, you are seem to be foreign, alien. As though you were not part of this world."_

No emotion is in my voice. I prepare to summon my power if I deem my intruder to be hostile. "So what does this mean? What do you want of me?"

_"You are willing to give me a chance, untrusting as though you may be, you have not truly said no."_

Her praise loosens some of my tension. My guard is still up, but I wonder...

_"There is still one I can try to connect with. One who has fallen. Please... save her. Accompany her on this journey."_

...

"You haven't told me everything, have you, Histoire?

I can almost picture her smiling. _"In time, strange one. Thank you for your help. Really, I am so grateful."_

I feel that I can trust her enough for now, if only with my name at the least... Future meetings with her may be inevitable at any rate. "It is Shirou. Shirou Emiya. And please, give me reason to trust you, and I will."

Again, I feel a somewhat... content aura again. _"Very well then, Shirou-san." _Unexpectedly, she becomes alarmed. _"Oh, I must go now... Hurry. Your first task awaits."_

***SCENE BREAK***

I wake up abruptly from my slumber. Were the events of my dream... real?...

A strong energy. A powerful force.

I look outside the window.

A shooting star...

That wasn't just a dream after all...

Leaping off my bed, I get out of my room and return my keys to the unsurprisingly startled receptionist telling him that I may not be back and a refund is unneeded. I thank him for the hospitality and leave the hotel.

Looking up at the sky, I reinforce my eyes and examine the star.

By the Root.

"Is that... a woman?"

It looks like that Compa's goddesses may be with us sooner than we thought.

I reinforce my legs and sprint as fast as I can in the direction of the star, hoping I can catch up with it.

***SCENE BREAK***

A few minutes later, I'm in the outskirts of town, still chasing after the star. I'm almost past the forest already...

It's starting to near the ground.

I analyze the position of my target and the crash point.

Seven seconds till she hits. I need to hurry.

Six seconds till impact. She is accelerating. At this rate, a crash, especially in her current position, may prove to be fatal.

Five seconds till impact. I pour even more od into my legs. I must not fail.

Four seconds till impact. My legs are becoming hot as I sprint towards my target.

Three seconds till impact. The light is becoming brighter, my surroundings hotter.

Two seconds to impact. Pain is starting to flow through my body.

One second to impact. I won't make it this way.

0.75 seconds to impact. I transfer the od to my upper body and leap, extending my hands as far as I can.

0.25 seconds to impact. Heat sears my body raw and the unbearable pain of penetrating the light around a comet and literally trying to catch a falling star courses through every nerve, an agonizing sensation.

I must endure.

0.00001 seconds to impact.

...

Impact averted.

I crash into the goddess, making us hit the ground and rebound several times. If this goes on...

A tree...

I shift my weight and manipulate my position. Almost there...

In seconds, we collide with the tree trunk, a loud thud resounding throughout the forest.

Whoa. Somehow, SOMEHOW...

I managed to catch a falling star. Or rather, a goddess, true.

That was incredibly excruciating.

***SCENE BREAK***

Most would take a deep breath and relax, but I have somebody to take care of.

I examine the goddess that I just saved.

She has purple hair braided into twin tails, with odd accessories on the sides. A black body suit covers most of her body, and there are bruises all over. She seems to have been in a fierce battle...

The Console Wars... Tch.

I suddenly notice the upper part of her suit.

OK, the view is...

I'm not staring!

"Where... where am I..."

Somehow, she still retains normal bodily functions despite having nearly fallen headfirst into the earth... landmass in the sky from the heavens... higher landmass in the sky called Celestia at WAY past terminal velocity.

"On Planeptune. You fell from the... higher skies."

The goddess looks at me, and if I had any doubt before that she was one, they are gone now.

In her eyes are strange, stylized Ns, filling up the empty abyss.

"Who... Who are you..."

Her voice... It's soft, helpless, confused...

A goddess she may be, but I'd be a hypocrite if I judged her too quickly.

"Someone who can help. I won't hurt you, I promise. I'll get some help soon, OK?"

She gives me one last grateful smile. "Thank you..."

With that, the CPU closes her eyes, losing consciousness.

Without warning, A bright light envelops the CPU. Eventually, the light dissipates into little specks.

The goddess has been transformed. She is now a little girl with shorter purple hair, whiter d-pad hairpins, a white hoodie, a short skirt and some shoes with long socks.

This was certainly unexpected.

"It's really dark...Who turned off the lights... Where's the circuit breaker..."

I palm my face. I've barely known her for ten seconds and yet I can tell she's IMPOSSIBLY different in her other form.

Dear Lord.

I suddenly hear rustling in the bushes and prepare to trace a sword to defend ourselves.

"What was that big boom... Shirou-san!"

Oh, it was Compa. I guess there was nothing to worry about-Why is she looking at me incredulously?

"Shirou-san, what are you doing with that girl?"

... In retrospect my current position right now is probably extremely awkward to look at .

"Nothing, really. She fell from the sky and I caught her. We need to give her medical attention now!" Compa nods at me. "I understandWait what?"

Huh?

"I can understand her falling from the sky and all but... you caught her?"

I nod my head.

She gives me a curious, wide-eyed expression.

And then she starts to blink at me.

Repeatedly.

"Um, OK, seriously, she needs help..."

...

Goddammit.

"Believe what you want..."

She sighs and says, "OK then, Shirou-san... Just follow me."

Carrying the little CPU, I follow Compa once again. I hear her mumble incoherently.

"Hey, is anyone there... Gonna wait for text boxes... Gonna chase for golden rings if you take too long..."

I feel a growing headache on my forehead, and I'd rub it if I wasn't carrying the cause of it. She thinks she's in a video game!

Calm down, Shirou, focus on other things, like, say, what company she's from. Golden rings could be referring to Sonic the Hedgehog, so maybe she's Sega...

"Kahh*Snort*"

What was that... Wait, she's drooling on me?

"Geez, you're welcome for saving you..."

Ah well. Being an ally of justice needn't be thankful anyway. Besides, Archer would probably be pissed if I couldn't take a little drooling while he had to undergo a betrayal to his ideals to the face... I don't need another reason for him to end BOTH our existences...

"Shirou-san, we-re here!"

I look up ahead, and I see a small cottage that is literally on the edge of the city, or rather the landmass. It looks like a stereotypical fantasy cottage, but it's quaint.

I head inside, and am greeted by a sight so blinding that my manly pride makes me twitch.

What is with all the pink?

"Just put her down there Shirou-san." I follow her directions, putting my load down on what I presume is her emergency patient's bed.

"Thank you, Compa-san. You've probably saved her life." She shakes her head. "You were the one that found her Shirou-san! You deserve the credit too!" I smile at her and start to head outside. "Wait, where are you going?" I turn back. "Heading to sleep. I wanna go stargazing for a bit, so I think I'll have a spot on the roof. May I?"

Well, I'm observing more than stars tonight, actually. You never know if assassins or anything else would follow a goddess falling from the sky.

"Are you sure? It's really cold outside." I smile at her concern. "It's also beautiful. Don't worry, I'll be fine." She continues to look concerned, but she concedes. "OK, Shirou-san... Good night!" I reply, "Good night, Compa-san."

Climbing to the top of the roof, I begin my watch, observing the world around me and trying to sense any hostiles nearby.

The night sky, above and below, is breathtaking. It gives off a peaceful, serene feeling...

After a few hours, I start to lie down on the roof and reflect on today.

Histoire,the CPUs... and the one that fell.

Everything is connected to them. My answers, my mission... everything starts with what leads I have.

The first day has passed. Let's see if the next few won't be as eventful.


	2. Dungeons and Exposition

_Well, I have a bit of extra time on my hands so I can upload a bit. Today, we officially begin the story!_

_I own no franchise referenced in this story._

_Begin!_

***CHAPTER START***

_"Hello again, Shirou-san."_

It appears that Histoire has taken up residence in my dreams yet again. "Hello Histoire, what do you have for me tonight?"

She becomes somewhat apologetic for some reason. _"We have... someone else joining us this time.__"_

"Whoa, who are you people? You guys are, like, in my head? Stop messing with my dreamy time!"

...

Oh. She's here.

I see.

"Well, um, hello, little one. How are you feeling?" She holds her head and grumbles. "Somewhat queasy... I feel like I crashed headfirst into the ground or sumfin..."

I deadpan at her. "You did. Several times." She stares at me curiously and then becomes horrified. "Wait, so like... I died? You two are gonna take me to heaven or something? No, no, no, I don't wanna die yet!"

I have the urge to bang my head on the first wall I find. "No, you're still alive. You're just dreaming right now, like you just said. Now please, just calm down." She's still shaking her head. Histoire feels the need to intervene. _"Please, do not be scared. I am Histoire, a tome. You have fallen to the world below Celestia. I am trying to ask a favor from the both of you."_

The new guest in my head mishears this horribly. "A t-t-t-tomb? I knew it! I'm as dead as common decency! So, you're asking what I want on my tombstone, right? Wait, world below? Below what? Below HELL?"

Dear God. How did Celestia become hell? "Yes, because every tomb you know of has a name other than yours and talks back to you." I think we're giving Histoire a headache. I pity her, but then again this is partly her fault. _"Please, take a deep breath. You haven't died. You are sleeping right now. This man saved you from falling to your death, and you should be thanking him."_

She looks at me. "Wait, you saved me?" I nod my head. "Well, yes actually."

She becomes elated and hugs me. "Oh, thankies! It would've really sucked if I had left all of you behind..."

What's with this melodrama all of a sudden? She seems to be very flighty and impulsive... "Um, you're welcome, I guess?"

She then points her head at our surroundings rapidly. "So um, who are you, Ms. Heavenly Voice?"

Histoire explains herself again. _"As I said, I am Histoire, the tome that has assisted the Goddesses of Celestia for generations. I stand for the world's everything and the world is my everything. There is nothing I do not know."_

Gathering information sounds incredibly useful... I'll be sure to ask...

_"I also created you. Please, I need your help."_

Histoire created this girl? If she's telling the truth...

The other member seems to be contemplating this as well. In a moment, she opens her eyes and declares her own conclusion.

"So, you, like, gave birth to me. You're my mom? And you've got kids? I see..." OK, NOT the words I was expecting, but it is somewhat logical.

Histoire is not happy with those words. _"Do not make it sound like that... I created, not birthed. And why do you sound so disappointed?" _Recomposing herself, she continues. _"I understand that this is a new sensation. I have been away from you all for ages, locked away from this world."_

The goddesses' creator, sealed away? This is becoming more and more interesting...

...the childish goddess is thinking again. This does not look good...

"Oh, okay, I gotcha. My dad locked you up and ran away with me when I was born, right?"

Somehow, her interpretation of the events brings pain to my mental faculties while I'm INSIDE my mental faculties. God, how does she think this stuff up?

Histoire is becoming desperate. _"You are taking this in an entirely inappropriate direction! I clearly said nothing of the sort!"_ Her tone becomes pleading, hoping beyond hope that she can get the people in front of her to aid her. _"I created you and the the other CPUs alongside the other goddess... but that was a dire mistake. Please, you have to help me!"_

Suddenly, the girl's form disappears as she starts to become annoyed.

I can hear a sigh in the distance. _"Oh... She woke up before I could explain to her... whatever shall I do..."_

The entire exchange is starting to convince me of Histoire's benevolence. She and our rather irrational divine being may very well be my ticket to saving this world.

"Well Histoire... I think you might have convinced me foraybe I can try and get her assistance for now." I can hear the... avatar, I suppose I can call her, brighten up somewhat. _"Oh, please do... that would help very much."_

I think I need some clarifications though.

"So, Histoire, from your requests... I can assume you, the personification of this world or something similar to such, is currently sealed away in a certain location and you want us to free you?"

The avatar confirms my first assumption. So, I know our objective now. "How will we go about this?"

_"When she is listening. I will tell you both."_

Hmmm... I see. Now for the important part.

"Who is the other goddess? Who is our main enemy?" This could very well change everything. If we know our enemy already...

_"... Forgive me. Our time is up. I'm afraid I cannot tell you..."_

Time is up? What are you... Oh, damn, light is filling this place up! "Histoire! Hey, Histoire!"

***SCENE BREAK***

"HISTOIRE!"

Dammit, another incredibly inconvenient and potentially dangerous interruption. Why'd I wake up now anyway?

"Gah, Compa... you're strangling me... bandages... too... tight..."

Every single combat alarm goes off in my head. Shit, was Compa actually on to us to?

I force open the door with a slam and make my way to the patient's room.

Oh my god, what the hell am I seeing right now?

Why is our Compa over the CPU, who is almost completely naked except for bandages? Was I woken up just to witness this provocative and horrifyingly depraved scene?

"Compa, what are you doing? You're killing her!"

Compa looks over to the door and greets me. "Oh, good... afternoon, Shirou-san! Think you can help me with these bandages?"

Wait, is she actually oblivious to the fact that she's murdering her patient and thinks that she's helping her?

The victim is moaning now, losing her life's breath. "Stop, you're tangling that up! Scissors... Gimme scissors now! I'll cut them up myself if I have to!"

Seeing that we may actually end up with a dead goddess due to an unintentionally murderous nurse, I scan the room for the cutting instrument and quickly cut up some of the tighter bandages myself.

***SCENE BREAK***

"Whew... Thanks, big guy! Hey, you look familiar..."

I suppress another sigh. After a few minutes of saving her yet again, the radically transformed goddess thanks me

"Oh, this is Shirou-san! He saved you from crashing into the ground last night! You should thank him!" At this, the crazy divine being snaps her fingers and says, "Oh, yeah, I remember! That's what you said in my dream, right?"

... She did not just say that.

Predictably, Compa stares at us very curiously at the goddess' strange comment. "Um... in your dreams?"

I answer her quickly. "Odd side effect, perhaps." Finding another distraction, I nervously ask, "Um, so, is there anything you can tell us about why you were falling from the sky last night?"

The goddess gives me a contemplative look, putting her hand on her chin and looking up at the ceiling. "I don't even remember falling from the sky... Heck, I don't even remember anything before that, period!"

Oh no. Another lost wealth of information. Compa has her own thoughts. "Oh, you poor thing... it must be an amnesia case... You must have hit your head really hard or something..."

I wince at that. This could be my fault. "Well, I'm afraid I couldn't completely save her from crashing. I managed to slow her down, but we still hit the ground several times before we collided into the tree..."

Compa recalls last night then gives an ah. Well, I guess this could very well explain the split-personality disorder levels of temperament change, given the severity of the trauma inflicted on her, the crash the last remnant of the Console War included.

The girl looks at us, distressed. "Isn't there, like, some medication for that?" Compa shakes her head. "I'm sorry, there's none. But don't worry! It's probably only temporary! My grandpa always said 'Fancy may kill or cure!' A little rest and some time off, and you'll be fine!"

I hope she'll be cured. That's critical to our progress.

Our patient doesn't seem to like that suggestion, for some reason. "I don't know... I feel like I was asked in my sleep to do something..."

Wow, she remembers?

Compa just smiles though. "That wasn't real." The goddess disagrees. "You never know, it was so weird! I bet someone was like 'pa-choo' and sent me a telepathic message or something!" She turns to me. "Yeah.. You were there too, right?"

They both look at me expectantly, and I slowly nod my head. "Compa-san, I'm afriad she's telling the truth. Unbelievable as though it may sound, we really did have a dream like that."

Compa becomes surprised. "Wait, you both had the same dream...?"

I nod my head. "Please. Are there any problems in the area, if only around here, at least?"

Though she doesn't seem convinced, Compa still becomes thoughtful. "Well... we have the monster attacks... Like I told you, Shirou-san, the military is being forced back and we can barely hold them off."

For some reason, the other girl in this room gets fired up. "Then... there must be a boss generating all those monsters!" She clenches her fists. "Yeah! I bet my mission is to defeat that boss and save the world!"

... OK, she doesn't remember. I believe the aim was to free Histoire. However, then again, doing this would be a big help to the townspeople, could be a good warm-up exercise and combat ability testing for our wayward goddess, and we may even get some answers from defeating this foe.

The usage of boss, however, makes me groan.

"Well, whether or not this is true, it's our only lead and hope for now..." Compa becomes stressed at this. "But it's irrational, dangerous and totally impossible! She just woke up!" I counter her. "Well, Compa-san, I just caught a girl that fell from the sky at night, nearly every sentence that comes out of said girl's mouth makes no sense, and we just told you we had the same dream about our current problem. Tell me, does anything on that list sound rational, safe and totally possible?" Compa becomes silent. "Besides, someone has to take the initiative. We have no other choices right now, and we're the only ones who are willing to make it. This would help out everyone here incredibly. Don't you think you ought to let her help?"

Listenning to my lecture, Compa finally sees my point. "Yeah... I became a nurse to save people! It would be hypocritical of me to only save those in the sickbed but not those from monster attacks!" She becomes determined. "Yeah... Grandpa did say something like 'Strike while the iron's hot!'" She bows at us. "Guys, I may not be the strongest, but I'll do my best to help! Three is better than two!"

Ah... a realization that sounds so familiar... well, it's not exactly the same, but the similarities are there.

OK, it's very far from my own, never mind...

It would be nice to have her onboard, but... "Don't you have school? You did say you were studying to become a nurse..."

And she needs those studies. Dearly.

"Oh, the monster attacks have scared people so much that many facilities are closed! School's out for now, and it won't be back for a while!" Our most fired up member cheers. "OK, sucks for your school, but you can camp out with us and help us now! Yay!"

Suddenly remembering an important detail, the goddess turns to me and says, "Oh, by the way, who are you, buddy? You agreed to help out so quickly!" I look at her and smile. "Shirou. Shirou Emiya. It's nice to meet you." The girl grins back at me. "You too! The name's Neptune!"

Neptune? I don't know any consoles or companies like that...

Wait.

Neptune... Golden rings referencing Sonic the Hedgehog...

The Neptune? The stop gap console to buy time for the Saturn?

No wonder her luck is so bad, she didn't even get released! Is this suppose to parallel the fact that she didn't descend normally?

While I'm thinking about this, Neptune was thinking for a while and she finally seems to have an idea. "Oh, I know what to call you! I think I'll call you Shi-kun! Lookie, it even rhymes with my name! Shi-kun, Neptune... Yeah, I'm a genius!" Compa nods. "Oh yeah, Nep-Nep introduced herself awhile ago already!"

I would deadpan at that, but I decide not to. It's not like I can dissuade this girl anyway... "Very well then, Neptune. Let's work together then, shall we?"

At this, we discuss our plans, like how to find the boss and providing Neptune with an appropriate weapon.

Or, we would, if she hadn't interrupted us with a sudden rumble of her stomach.

"Err, um... Can we have some eats?"

***SCENE BREAK***

After a brief argument with Compa over who gets to cook, I managed to prepare some beef enoki and some rice with miso soup.

They love my cooking already. Good. The kitchen is mine...

The state of Neptune's amnesia erased most of her memories, so some time was spent explaining the the world to her.

Her words about the Basilicom really made me wonder if we can get through this with our sanity intact. Seriously, COOKIES?

As for weapons, we managed to find a very old wooden katana, a bokuto that was bought for display purposes only, but it's better than nothing. I convinced them that I don't need a weapon for now. Let me see how well they do before I start to trace.

Compa's weapon, however...

So THOSE are the syringes the shopkeeper was talking about. Seriously, looking at that giant needle filled with an ominously colored liquid, it's enough to intimidate anybody.

But that's not all, however...

"OK. So the military has had so much trouble pushing back the monsters and are always caught off guard by them." Compa nods at me. "That's right." I continue my questioning. "And the best possible way of at least gaining some ground against them is to defeat one of these boss monsters." She confirms this. "It's our only plan."

With that, I get into the heart of my problem. "And yet, they don't even take the time to go on the net and use freaking DungleMaps?"

Are you freaking kidding me? Searching for any dungeon with appropriate filters of monster strength? That's a wasted asset! Dear God...

Also, goddammit I'm going to be hearing puns about EVERYTHING, aren't I?

Compa looks at me sheepishly. "I actually don't know either, honestly..." Sighing, I just resign myself to the fact that the basic rule of many RPGs and in fact many of our adventures have the rule that a small group will be much more competent than an entire army ever could be. Such tragedy...

Neptune is fired up, however. "Oh, wow, this looks like a dungeon filled with a ton of strong monsters! I can't wait to kick some butt!"

Too bad. "Sorry Neptune, we filtered out the stronger monsters. This is a warm up exercise, so only the boss here should be strong."

Unfortunately, that annoys her. "What? Only weaklings? Then just go in and find the boss then, call me when you find him..."

Impatient CPU. "Yeesh, don't be so skittery..."

Compa shakes her head and adamantly scolds her. "Nep-Nep, we're party members now! We're like soul mates! If you abandon us you'll be punished by the goddess."

Oh, Compa, if only we could tell you the irony behind those words.

Sighing, I have to use her own logic against her. "Neptune, if we just call you, it'll take even longer. We have to find the boss after fighting through all these monsters, run back to find you while fighting through them again, and then right after that we go through it again while killing more monsters. That would leave the two of us tired and with way more experience than you. Thus, it will actually take MUCH longer if you don't come with us."

Neptune quietly considers these words and smiles at me. "Hey, I didn't think of that, Shi-kun! you're really smart!"Actually, that doesn't take too much work to guess, but might as well not dissuade her...

"Well, then, shall we start exploring the dungeon?"

***SCENE BREAK***

The dungeon is mostly brown in color, resembling a rusty abandoned factory or some similar facility. We've just gone through the entrance, when...

"Oh cool, a treasure chest!"

I almost twitch at those words. Ever since my adventures in the Glade of Dreams, I've had a certain... _dislike_... for treasure chests.

"Alright Compa-san, you go ahead of it over on the side, I'll stay back here in case it escapes..." They both look at me oddly. "Why, Shi-kun, it's just a chest?" I defend myself and countering with much adamance, "You have no idea what I've gone through with some of those..."

Goddamn bastards with their freaking gauntlet runs... The horrible memories...

Fortunately, Compa complies with my orders.

Come on... don't run away...

It opened. Thank God.

"Ooh, look, it's another bokutou! I could use this!" My eyebrows rase at our incredible luck. I hold both of them and make my decision. "Oh, nice. I know what to do with these. Neptune, can I borrow Compa's bokutou while you use the new one? It seems to be in much better condition."

Neptune grins at me. "Sure Shi-kun! It's the least I could do for saving my life!" I imitate her grin. Looks like she knows when to be serious about this after all.

I take a few swings with the bokutou. As my original favored weapon for the early part of the Grail War and for a good part of my life, while I may not trace them on a regular basis, I have a liking for them and use them as training, nonlethal or conservational arms when I want to use up as little od as possible.

"Very well done... It has held up well enough. This will suffice for the monsters here."

As we continue through the factory, we meet our first enemies: Two very familiar looking monsters...

"Get ready, guys! These are Dogoos!"

Oh god. I remember now.

SLIMES? Are you kidding me? SLIMES WITH DOG FACES? That's what's been pushing back the military?

"This is insulting... Let's get this over with..."

Our first battle begins. "Compa-san, stay back and keep firing shots. Neptune and I will take one at a time, you support her." Compa nods and gives suppressing fire to Neptune's position, the latter giving a combination of clumsy swings with her sword and the occasional punch and kick. Her fighting style is still too raw, too amateurish, but considering the fact that she can punch and kick them with ease and much speed, her goddess power must make up for it, if only for a little bit.

I myself continuously slash my target, reinforcing my legs to sweep it every now and again. I think I can finish it off now. I kick it upwards with reinforced legs, slash it horizontally and smash it down, and finally crush it beneath my feet.

God. Did I just kick the dog? Sure it tried to kill us by biting and lunging, but still...

"Whoa, Shi-kun, nice combo! You really know how to look flashy, huh?" I smirk at Neptune. "Thanks. You two worked well together, so good job to you both as well."

We continue through the dungeon, and I suppress my paranoid urges to run up to the next chest we see and start smacking it to death.

"Ooh, what's in here... Oh, look guys! A hammer and a bell!"

Again, we have strange luck. I take the items from Neptune and analyze them, examining their histories and structures simultaneously with my magecraft.

"Neptune, this Planet Hammer was used to break down blockades and other obstacles before, so you use this when we find them. Compa, this Descent Bell summons monsters when rung. It can summon monsters that normally stay dormant at special locations as well. We won't use this now, but let's keep this for later. We might find a way to apply its abilities."

They both look at me, awed. "Wow, Shirou-san... how'd you know about these things?" I smile at her. "A skill of mine, being able to find out the characteristics and traits behind weapons and other objects." These two have been stored within me, so I can summon them should we need more of them.

Shortly thereafter, we find metal fences in our way. Sending Neptune ahead, she brandishes her newly acquired hammer and gets ready to pound away.

"Go, go, Hammer Crash!"

She raises it and brings it down while bendingGAH!

I look away as Neptune smashes the fences. When she walks back to me, she wonders what's wrong. "Shi-kun, what's wrong?" I turn back to her and tell her, straight to her face, what the problem is.

"Neptune... your skirt is just way too short! I almost saw your panties that time! Don't bend over too much! Better yet, let's buy you some shorts the moment we get back to the city!" She looks at me and pouts, puffing up her cheeks. "Aw, but I don't wanna! These are so comfortable and so breezy!"

I look to our other companion for aid, pleading with her. "Compa-san... help me..."

Compa shakes her head. "I'm sorry Shirou-san, I don't think we can convince her..." With a sigh I give up yet again on having an adventure that isn't ridiculous or perverted...

At the end of the path, we clear out the Dogoos and the painfully named Babyvader. We investigate all around it when we see a mysterious rune at the other side...

"Neptune, get ready. Compa-san, Descent Bell. When you summon it, run back immediately, OK?" She nods her head. Both Neptune and I stand back while Compa slowly walks towards the rune. "I can do this, I can do this..." When she gets there she rings the bell. "Oh, Bakemono-san, don't be shy and come out now."

Facepalm.

I suddenly feel a surge of malevolent energy. "Compa-san, get back, now!"

In a few moments, a gigantic arachnid-shaped being materializes in front of us, a large blade in its hand and a pointed antenna on its head.

This is certainly a majestic sigh, and it certainly commands the respect of the other monsters we've faced...

"Be careful guys! Compa-san, just stay back and fire at its head, Neptune and I will handle this!"

***SCENE BREAK***

Our fight's been going on for a while now. We've managed to put up some resistance, and I think we can take it down...

"Neptune!"

The monster is readying its blade , ready to slash at Neptune.

Shit, she can't dodge it!

"Get back, now!"

I only have one choice.

Just like fighting Berserker during the war, I reinforce my legs, dash up in front of Neptune, then fill my blade with as much od as I can, risking the chance of breakage.

The Guard Vermin's blade collides with my own, holding off the attack. As it roars again, it raises its blade starts to rapidly smash my reinforced bokutou.

Dammit.

"Shi-kun!" Neptune, still behind me, might get hit and killed if this keeps up. "Neptune, get out of here! I'll handle it this time!"

The bokutou's cracking. It can't take much more...

"GO!"

She remains silent. She's looking down at the ground, and I can hear her gnash her teeth. "No... I won't leave you behind! Shi-kun I'm gonna save you now!"

As the Vermin continues to try and break through, I smile at her concern. Looks like we're in this together...

_"Then perhaps you would like the power to do so, Neptune-san?"_

Out of nowhere, Histoire makes her voice known during the battle. "Histy... is that you?" The tome speaks up again. _"Neptune-san... Activate Hard Drive Divinity... The Processor Units will give you incredible power that you can use in times of desperation.. Perhaps now is the time..."_

Neptune nods and readies herself. "OK... Let's do this!"

Power suddenly surges throughout the area, enough to make the Guard Vermin stop its assault. I jump back and plant my feet firmly onto the ground, partially watching the "boss" and mostly marveling at the transformation.

Green numbers burst forth from beneath Neptune as she jumps into the air. Discs surround her and she activates one, a strange insignia symbolizing its activation.

A bright light shines, and in a flash, Neptune becomes the goddess I saved from crashing into the ground, her body mostly dull and gray as other parts surround her. The units attach to her with as though they were being slotted into and hammered onto her, legs, waist, shoulders, back and finally her head. With this, she somersaults into the air and spins one last time, the familiar black and purple outline now coloring her suit.

The goddess has returned.

"Shirou... This time, I shall help you!"

A smirk covers my face as we stare at the seemingly horrified monster.

"If that's how you feel then... Let's finish this!"

Neptune's sword, now a black and purple katana, makes the monster flinch at every slice, and even her kicks appear to be damaging it. I slash at its legs as well to keep it off balance, my bokutou now reinforced significantly.

"This is the end!"

As I jump into the air, Neptune flies up with me and we shout as we cross the arachnid monster's head with our blades.

The monster drops its blade as its antenna falls off. An 'x' is marked on its face.

As we slice the air with our blades, the monster collapses, its antenna hitting the ground.

A mysterious purple jewel is in the antenna, and I pick it up, smiling back at both of my allies as I walk towards them."

"Well done Neptune, Compa-san." I turn to the transformed CPU. "Nice magical girl moment. It really came at a time when we needed it, you know?" She smiles at me as well. "Thank you, Shirou... I will protect you as you protected me that time. I promise..." She starts to close her eyes. "See you again... Shirou..."

With that, the transformed CPU illuminates the factory and, after a flash of bright light, is back to her normal, immature form.

"Back to normal again, huh?" I walk up to her and ruffle her hair. "You did well. Thanks you for helping me back there." Her cheeks become red and she looks up at me, beaming. "Aw, thanks, Shi-kun! It was nothing at all!"

Oh yeah.

"Compa, are you OK?"

She's just staring at us, totally shocked out of reasoning at Neptune's transformation and our subsequent display of giant spider warrior slaying prowess. "Wow, you guys... That was incredible! You won it amazingly!"

As she congratulates us, Histoire contacts us again. _"Neptune, Shirou-san... Can you here me?" _Neptune happily responds. "Histy, thanks for the awesome tutorial, what's up?"

Compa starts to wonder what we're talking about. "Nep-Nep, who are you talking to? Nobody's here aside from you, Shirou-san and me..."

Histoire can't talk to Compa? "Histoire, you can't contact Compa at all?"With an apologetic tone, Histoire confirms this. _"I'm apologize you two, but I can only talk to the both of you at this time... Just pass my words to your companion when I am done speaking." _She becomes silent for a moment, then says, _"Also... I'm not very comfortable with the name Histy..."_

Neptune just shrugs and tells Compa, "Sorry Compa, we'll tell you what she said later. So, Histy, Shi-kun found something weird and shiny! What the heck is it?"

Totally ignored. Poor Histoire...

_"It's... It is a Key Fragment, the very thing you need to release me from my seal."_

So... our objective finally makes itself known... The Key Fragments...

"So we simply gather the Fragments and bring them to your location... Where is your seal anyway, Histoire?"

_"Unfortunately, I don't know. The person who locked me did so in a place whose exact location eludes my knowledge..." _She composes herself. _"You will find a Key Fragment in each land mass of Lastation, Leanbox and Lowee." _

Neptune becomes excited. "So, this fetch quest'll let me save you? Where are they?"

_"Once again, I do not know and have little information on the matter. You have collected one just now, so see if you can learn anything from how you collected it..."_

Hmm... What little information we have...

Wait. If that's so, then...

"Histoire, assuming that the conditions are the same for all the Key Fragments, can we conclude that we shall find one in the possession of a strong monster within each landmass?"

Histoire ponders this. _"Yes... Each one is guarded by a strong adversary within each nation. You are quite observant, aren't you?" _ I smirk at her... or I would, if she was, so I just smirk. "Well, I have my strengths." Yup, as much as I hear the word idiot thrown at my face a lot, no one has ever truly called me that stupid.

Neptune makes a strangely logical comment. "Wait... Histy, should I really do all this for someone I don't even know?"

That was a problem I've raised ever since my first contact, but it's my only lead. "Oddly sensible for you... but for now, Neptune, I think we ought to trust her." Neptune looks at me, surprised. "Are you sure, Shi-kun? I mean, I don't know if I'll even save the world if I do all this for her..."

Aaandd she's back... But our friend is ready for that though. _"You're very honest. As I said, I am the world's everything. as the world is mine. Saving me is tantamount to saving it."_

Neptune is determined again. "Oh, OK then! But don't stop there, pump-"

I interrupt here. "OK, Histoire, that's enough... but seriously, so far, you've been sincere and revealed information that we needed to know, and you're our only clue so far on how to save this world. I don't sense any ill will from you either, unless you're acting. I guess we can trust you for now, and we'll hold you accountable for anything that happens to us before and after we free you, got that?"

She sounds overjoyed. _"You two... you've trusted me where many others did not. Thank you so much..." _With that, she says, _"I shall leave you now... we shall talk again, you two. And please, give my regards to your companion. Farewell."_

With that, it appears that our connection has been cut. Leaving us alone with Compa...

Oh, crap.

"Nep-Nep, Shiou-san, why are you two so excited and emotional? I don't hear this person's voice..." Tears start to well up in her eyes and she tries to wipe them away. "I wanna be part of the gang too... Nep-Nep*sniff*Shirou-san..."

I wince as the girl in front of me cries at our abandonment. "Um, we're sorry, Compa-san..." Neptune runs up to her. "Don't worry Compa, we'll get something to eat and I'll talk toyou about it for hours and hours and hours!"

Oh god. That's a nightmare.

"But remember, Compa, Histy won't ever talk to a crybaby... so buck up kiddo! You can do this!"

Lord. I'm already getting a headache.

As we head home, I look up at the sky and give it a resigned smile.

"This'll be just another few months in the office for me, won't it? Ah well, nothing's normal with me anyway..."

As I catch up with the girls, I ready myself for the strange journey ahead in the planet of Gamindustri.


	3. A New Friend with an Old Voice

_I'd like to explain that reference I made in the middle of the story. If anyone here has ever played Rayman Origins, you'll know that there are special bonus levels where you run a mad gauntlet to chase treasure chests that have skull teeth in them. As someone who has run those gauntlets, Shirou… Well…_

_Let's not talk about that. _

_Anyway, today he meets Idea Factory… I mean, IF! And thus begins the running gag of panty shots!_

_Also, for those who played Neptunia in Japanese voices and Fate/Stay Night with the Realta Nua voice patch, you'd probably know that Rin and IF share a VA..._

_You see where I'm going with this, right?_

_I own no franchise referenced in this story._

_Enjoy!_

***CHAPTER START***

"Come on guys! We've already gotten Planeptune's fragment! Let's not waste any time and mosey on to the next landmass!"

It's been a day since our first dungeon run, and Neptune displays her childish impatience as we explore her landmass' Central City. We still haven't enlightened Compa as to Neptune's identity yet, but we may have to soon.

"No need to rush. This place is still threatened by monsters. We can't just leave the townspeople like this!" I support her argument. "I agree Neptune. We can support the townspeople while we have the time to gather information and equipment. We still need to get enough money to better your weapons and stock up on some good healing supplies." I then become serious. "Besides, maybe you two need to brush up on a bit more combat experience." Neptune pouts. "Aw, but why, Shi-kun? I mean, I've got my awesome magical girl transformation! We can beat anything in the world with that!" I become even more serious. "That's exactly the point."

Both Compa and Neptune look at me, curiously. "You shouldn't rely on that power too much. Though it is admittedly very welcome, if you become over dependent on it, what will happen when you can't use it? You have to balance usage of your power with your own skills. This way, you can use HDD as a sort of hidden trump card, a special move that can be used to surprise your enemies, counter these 'bosses' that we may very well be fighting over our journey or even as a desperation move you can use on the brink of defeat. All the while, you can defeat the monsters and any other foes we face without transforming, or even using it as a special tactical combat option."

She looks at me, confused. "What's with all those hard words, Shi-kun? It's making my head hurt…"

I sigh, sort of expecting she wouldn't understand that…

I have to use game language now, don't I?

"Well then, think about this… Let's say you have a character in a video game. He's really weak, but he becomes ultra-strong when he transforms. Problem is, it's really short and it takes really long to build up the transformation power." I pause here, and emphasize my next point. "Now then, what happens when he faces a strong boss? He can barely damage it, so he can barely build up power, and even then it's not strong enough to beat it. What will he do then?"

Neptune looks at me with wide eyes. "Oh… I get it now! Yeah, that would suck wouldn't it? I don't want that to happen to me!" She pumps her fist into the air. "Righty-o! Let's start some battle training and clobber some monsters while we help the townspeople!"

Compa looks at me, amazed. "Wow, Shirou-san, you know how to convince Nep-Nep to see your point! That's amazing!" I grin at her. "All it takes is the right approach, and you can convince anybody. Some will be more stubborn than others, but you can eventually get to them if you talk to them right."

That actually doesn't work for most villains when they're trying to make the hero surrender, but I guess it can work on an immature, impatient and childish goddess.

"Right then. Before we do, let's go on to the shop, shall we?"

***SCENE BREAK***

After getting a sizable stock of Reflex bottles and some other healing items, we head back to Compa's house, where I hear a frustrating piece of news.

"What do you mean, DungleMaps has shut down? Are you saying just when we begin to need it the most, the company went under? What kind of contrived course of events is this?" Compa shakes her head and apologizes."I'm sorry, Shirou-san, I was only able to find one last dungeon before they gave the announcement..."

I sigh at that. I should've known this ridiculously named website would cop out on us just when we needed it.

Ah well. Back to the old way of intelligence gathering, then. "Well, nothing we can do... we'll just have to rely on asking around after this..." Great. Neptune will not be pleased...

"Alright, let's move out... Let's not tell Neptune about this or she'll throw a fit..."

***SCENE BREAK***

After arriving at the "Evil Cave", the nearest dungeon, a place semi-illuminated by the glow of purple crystals. However, it is still a bit dark...

"Bad guys hole up in caves, but I wonder if it's kinda like where they do the thing and they make babies. Sorry to intrude..."

I freeze up at those words and slowly put both palms on my face. "Neptune... was that necessary at all..."

She turns to us and says, "Guys, it's dark, so you better watch your step. You never know when you'llaaagh!"

That was rather sad. I was totally ignored, and she didn't even follow her own advice...

But still, this merits concern. "Neptune, are you OK? What happened?" Compa worries as well. "Nep-Nep, be careful! If you don't watch where you're going, you might fall into spikes and get game over..."

Goddammit this is not a game and she will not explode into tiny little orbs waiting for a continue should she get spiked. She will just die, the disturbing image of an impaled loli goddess haunting your nightmares forever.

OK, that was morbid.

"I'm OK, but I ran into something... no, something ran into me!"

"Ow! Hey, watch it girl, this isn't the place for kindergardeners to have recess!"

...

Wait.

Why does that voice sound so familiar?

I look ahead and I see a brunette haired girl with an outfit somewhat similar to mine, a blue coat over a black sleeveless outfit (though her sleeves are WAY too long...) on the ground, one hand on her head and her legs spread openGAH!

Am I CURSED to look at women's panties for the rest of my stay here? !

While I'm pondering this sense of familiarity and looking away in embarrassment, Neptune counters, "Kindergardeners? Look who's talking. Who're you? Do you live in this icky cave?"

The girl Neptune bumped into gives a deadpan reaction so horrifyingly familiar it makes my eyes widen and my jaws drop.

"Do I look like a ragged bum to you?"

Oh god. Oh my god.

"I'm IF. I'm here to eliminate monsters at the request of the Basilicom. Who are YOU people?"

I'm too busy being shocked to explain ourselves and take the diplomatic role, and yet SOMEHOW Neptune doesn't mess up her time. "We're here because we're training and we're trying to help people... So, we're here for the same reason!" She beams at IF. "I'm Neptune! This is Compa, and the only guy here is Shi-kun!"

I'm so messed up I don't even correct her...

Compa shyly introduces herself. "Um, I'm a nurse in training, and I'm good at math, arts and crafts so..." Neptune barges in. "Then Compa, you're in charge of item and inventory accounting... Shi-kun? What's wrong?"

All three of them look at me as though there were something wrong with me. Not surprising, I'm gawking at IF as though she were a ghost.

"Is there anything wrong? Your staring is creeping me out."

That's it.

"T-Tohsaka? !"

Why does she have the EXACT same voice at her? Well, I've heard of phenomena like this occurring before but...

You know what, omniverse, you SUCK. I bet she uses guns and she's a tsundere, no questions asked.

All three are unsurprisingly startled at my outburst. "W-what the hell? Who the hell is that anyway?"

Sighing and just resigning myself to the fact that I'll be hearing my feisty little mage's voice in a loli body (It's just too bad I can't tease her for this... I need some more material for the next time I see her...), I apologize. "I'm sorry for my behavior... You just reminded me of someone I knew..." I cough into my hands and introduce myself properly this time. "I'm Shirou, Shirou Emiya. Once again I'm sorry for shouting and..."

You know what, let's forget the panty thing.

"Never mind." I quickly change the topic before they can get suspicious. "So, you wish to take care of the monsters here. Why don't we work together? We can clear out this place faster, get some more combat experience for these two," I motion towards the two girls of our current party, "and split the reward. What do you say, IF?"

I extend my gloved hand, a sign of agreement to these terms.

IF ponders this for a moment and nods, taking my hand. "Deal. We can team up, but you'll be joining me, OK?"

We shake our hands, sealing the deal. Neptune looks at us with a sparkle in her eyes. "Shi-kun, you convinced Ai-chan to join us! Oh, I'm so glad you asked!"

I cover my mouth in a futile attempt to conceal my laughter, my body shaking all over. Oh, come on, can't I just tell Rin everything and then tease her mercilessly in what may be the few times I can verbally turn the tides on her?

"Hey! That isn't my name!" She turns to me. "And you! Stop laughing!" Compa is overjoyed. "Oh, we really look like a party now! We'll be together forever and ever! It's a pleasure to have you with us!" IF absentmindedly replies, "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

...

"Wait, wait, wait, what, forever? No, no, no, not forever, just for this dungeon, OK?"

Neptune looks at her, judging her. "Bzzt, you're already part of us now, so you can't get away from us even if you tried~ Abandoning the party is against the rules of this world, got that?" IF seems to have been caught off-guard by our purple-haired CPU's sudden seriousness. "U-um, no, but..." She gives up and sighs out, "Whatever. Never mind..."

Looking at the antics of the party right now, I actually think that I'd like her to join permanently. The only justification I have so far for party member joining is that they have something to do with game companies or consoles...

Wait. Compile Heart had a parent company... IF...

Idea Factory?

...I really hope she can join the party. Really, I do.

"Well, we'll se later. Let's start our quest, shall we?"

***SCENE BREAK***

There is a fork in the road, and IF requests us to take the right path so she can look for something in the crystal room. It's a dead end. She seems to be searching for something in a particular area...

"Ah, this should be it. Bandit Bangle, activate!"

IF raises her arm and a small beam of light shoots out of it and into a small spot in front of her. The light eventually builds up and, to our amazement, becomes a treasure chest.

"That's a very useful item you have there... It may not be necessary at all times, but who knows what could be in these hidden chests?" IF smirks at me. "Thanks, buddy. I worked hard for this thing and I certainly don't want to think the effort was wasted." I need to use Structural Grasp on that later... I may or may not be able to trace this relic...

Picking up a leather bracelet from the treasure chest and letting IF equip it, a decision made by majority vote as Neptune wanted it, 'our leader' says,"Well, with that, let's go the other way, shall we?"

As we make our way through the dungeon, we are accosted by a group of Dogoos, numbering about three in all.

"Can I suggest you support me in combat, IF-san? You seem to be faster, so you can disorient it while I give it some slashes." She looks at me, and nods at me while brandishing some katars. As I scan them, I see that, as I guessed, they do have guns on them.

Oh Rin... You and your gandrs...

"OK, then. You look like you're the most experienced one here, so don't disappoint, OK?" She pauses for a moment, then grins. "Also, stop with the formality, Shirou. Just call me IF." Grinning myself, I tell her, "Sure, IF. Let's start this, shall we?"

IF dashes up to one of the Dogoos and gives it a combination of stabs and kicks. She readies a bullet and glances at me, a silent signal to begin. Affirming my attention, I run up to our target and connect my blade's slash at the same time her bullet fires, a thunderous bang echoing throughout the dark caves as our enemy is defeated.

"Nice moves there. For someone who's wielding a bokutou, you're handling yourself pretty well." I smirk at her. "And for someone whose sleeves are way too long, you are shooting pretty well." She groans at that. "Yeah, yeah, I know..."

Yup, her combat experience would definitely be a big help...

I look at our two companions and see that Neptune has a determined look on her face. "So you have a hidden gun, huh... Well, I ain't losing to you!"

She unleashes a barrage of sword slashes on the final Dogoo and then, suddenly, takes a gun out of her pocket and blasts it, killing it.

"Wait... Neptune, where did the gun come from?" She smiles at me and rubs her head. "Oh, I had it in my pockets this whole time and I just figured it out now!"

...

Yeah, she's an airhead. I knew that.

"That would have been very useful last time, you know..." I turn to IF and explain to her as she gives me a questioning look. "Suffice it to say that this is incredibly bad timing. We'll tell you later if you're up to it." She just shrugs and we move on.

The caves are quiet as we move through the crystal glows. We try to keep Neptune down as she marvels at all the pretty sights. "Aw, but they look so awesome!" I groan at her. "Please, keep quiet Neptune..."

Suddenly, at a junction of the cave, a deafening roar resounds throughout the dungeon and a huge, one-eyed, club-wielding humanoid blocks our path. IF takes a fighting stance. "That's a Jaki! Don't let your guard down for a second!"

We all ready our weapons. "IF-san, support me again! Neptune, Compa-san, try and stay back and shoot it! Only engage in close combat if you have no choice!" All of them nod and take their positions, readying themselves for the battle.

The Jaki is thankfully as cumbersome as the size of its body and weapon suggest, so IF and I can dodge their attacks rather easily. Neptune and Compa manage to pepper it with shots as it starts to slow down.

The monster raises its club and swings it at me, but I again reinforce the blade and manage to block it.

"Whoa!"

Oh yeah, IF hasn't seen this before...

"Attack it now! You have the chance!" The blade is cracking even more... It can't take much more of this... IF recomposes herself and takes the opportunity to shoot its body several times, weakening its blow and making it flinch.

Now's my chance. It looks like it's time for me to unveil one of my new gadgets as a traveller.

I reinforce my legs and jump onto the cyclops' eye. I punch the center with my reinforced left hand as I land. As it roars in pain, I deliver the final blow.

The sound of another bullet being shot travels throughout the caves. As it collapses, I gracefully plant my feet on the ground as I clench my fist.

The hidden pistol, invented by the Master Assassin Altair ibn Al-Ahad and perfected by Leonardo Da Vinci, has become a staple weapon of us travelers, and one of the new abilities granted to me as a member of the organization is the ability to instantly know how to use any weapon in my grasp, a powerful combination with my own magecraft and weaponry.

All of them are staring at me in awe. "Shi-kun... that was incredible! Epically awesome! Oh man, you had a gun too!" I grin at her. "Yeah, I was trying to save it, but considering that everyone here already has a gun, I figured that nobody ought to be surprised if I had one too..."

IF is just staring at me in awe. "You... You managed to hold of a Jaki's club with a bokutou!" I smirk at her. "Well, let's just say I have my own ways to do that... Like I said, I'll explain once we get out of here..."

She eyes me incredulously, then warns me, "You better..."

With that, we move on throughout the Evil Caves, clearing out the area.

***SCENE BREAK***

We've finally reached the end of the dungeon, and seeing the enemy ahead of us, I ready myself.

"IF-san... That's our main target?" She adopts a fighting stance of her own and nods. "Yeah... That's a Sand Worm." The monster in question has a gaping maw of teeth and crystals on its back, its unsettling spineless structure moving about and motioning at us with hostility.

"IF-san... Don't be surprised if anything... unusual... happens during our battle, OK?" We may have to activate Neptune's HDD considering the enemy's potential strength. She looks at me and seems to accept that. "Considering what you just did? I'll see if I can't..."

As the worm roars the battle begins in earnest. We attacks the monster's body several times with our weapons, but it doesn't see to have any effect. As we step back and try to think of another strategy, it suddenly lunges at me. Seeing it coming, I anticipate the opening of its mouth and slash at the area. Seeing that it's dazed, I reinforce my bokutou and slash at its head area.

The worm howls in pain and moves uncontrollably. It bites my sword and tears off the blade, rendering it useless.

Shit.

"Shi-kun!" Neptune's cries show very obvious signs of worry. It seems to have gone berserk and has started chasing me around the area. "Attack it, now!" I dodge and elude it for as long as I possibly can and away from my party members.

It eventually corners me, however. It's made several bites which I easily dodge, but I'm not sure if I can keep this up for long without my magecraft...

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

The familiar bright light distracts the worm, and in a flash, Neptune's divine form makes its appearance. IF stares at her in awe. "Wh-whoa... That's incredible..."

I take the opportunity to get out of the way and let Neptune handle the Sand Worm. She's done damage, but it's not enough.

"Shirou! I need a distraction!"

I nod at her and think of a plan as she fights it off, when I find my self standing over the pieces of my bokutou. Suddenly, a bright idea enters my head. I pick up the wooden pieces and ready myself.

"Come then, crystal devourer. Let's see how you like eating THIS!"

I jump up on the crystal monster's back. Reinforcing my arms, I grip its mouth and force it open. With my free hand, I reinforce the bokutou's remains and throw them into the worm's mouth.

Horrifying shrieks erupt from the worm's mouth as it shakes uncontrollably, writhing around.

"Neptune! Now!"

Neptune in her true form nods at me and she starts to concentrate. She brings out another disc, and begins to pour her own power into it.

"R/W Disc, activate!"

The disc begins to shine as it releases Neptune's power, and it eventually makes countless rocks burst forth from within. They all throw themselves at the Sand Worm. It tries to hold up against the solid barrage, but it eventually becomes crushed and dies.

That was an incredible finish.

"Neptune... what was that?" The Divinity looks at me and grins. "Magic. My element is earth, apparently, and I managed to unleash its power now. I'm getting some of my old form back... I have you to thank for that."

So this is how magic is done here, using the discs as mediums like they were Mystic Codes... This is amazing.

"Glad to help out. I just can't wait to see how well you progress."

The other two run up to us. "Wow, Nep-Nep, you can use the discs! Oh, I can't believe I left mine at home..."

I palm my face and Neptune almost does, but then she remembers why she didn't use her pistol and looks away, embarrassed.

IF is complaining now, though. "What the hell was that? I need to know what's going on!"

I turn to IF and ask her to be patient. "IF, report your mission to this... Basilicom... But make sure to keep Neptune's transformation a secret. We can't anyone know about this. Afterwards, meet us in the house on the edge of town near the hotel. Can I ask you to do this, please?"

IF looks at me suspiciously, but concedes and nods. "Alright... I will. I'll say all three of you helped as well. You promise to explain everything?" I nod at her again. "I promise."

With that, we head out of the cave and back home, while IF heads for the Basilicom.

***SCENE BREAK***

"Wait... So you're telling me that THIS is Planeptune's goddess?"

IF and Compa have now learned the full story behind our journey, and both are unsurprisingly shocked.

"Yes, that's the truth. Histoire, the world itself, has asked for the assistance of the fallen goddess to free her." With a suffering look at the happy-go-lucky Neptune, I tell them, "You can see why she asked for mine too." Compa narrows her eyes slightly. "But Shirou-san, why do you want to keep Nep-Nep's CPU status a secret? Wouldn't they be happy to know their goddess has descended?"

I point at Neptune again. "Compa-san, think for a minute. Would you REALLY want Neptune leading the country while she's like this: inexperienced, somewhat irresponsible and much too carefree, and her only chance of leading properly is using HDD, an ability that makes an already taxing responsibility even more demanding? You want her to do this now, while she still has Histoire's liberation and the monster attacks to think of?"

Compa ponders this for a moment. "B-but..." IF interrupts her. "Yeah, I can understand... You want her to grow up a bit and make the job easier for her first before she goes back, right?" I confirm her guesses. "That's right."

She then raises another question. "But are you sure this isn't a big fib by this 'Histoire' person? This is pretty big. We could have the solution to the entire monster problem on our hands. Are you sure it isn't just a hoax?"

I put her fears to rest by taking out Planeptune's purple Key Fragment. "This is the Key Fragment we recieved after beating a Guard Vermin in the abandoned factory. So far, Histoire has shown herself to be sincere, caring and benevolent, even assisting us in battle by telling Neptune of her goddess form. Though I still have my reservations, she has so far been trustworthy in her actions."

I pause for a moment. "Which brings me to my next proposal."

Taking a deep breath, I begin. "IF, can you please accompany us on our mission?"

Neptune and Compa shout with joy, while IF becomes silent. "...Why?"

"Neptune is, as I said, inexperienced in combat and a little airheaded, and while she is developing, it won't be enough. Compa-san is also a bit of a ditz as well, and she too is still new to battle. And me, while I am confident in my skills as a combatant, I have barely any knowledge about this world at all." I look at her and beg a little more. "You have none of these problems. You have combat experience. You have connections to the Basilicom already, allowing us access to its information and any other sources you may have heard of. You can take care of yourself." I now plead with her, the same way Histoire did when she asked for my help. "Please. We need help to complete this mission."

IF continues to regard me curiously and silently, and then breaks out into a grin. "Honestly? I would've joined anyway, as I knew leaving it to you three would kind of doom us all... Actually, maybe they would've had a chance with you. You know your limits, and you put them out there without hesitation. That's really admirable, you know that?"

She holds her hand out. "So I'm joining, from now on."

I grin at her, and shake her hand. "Welcome to the party, IF."

Neptune and Compa explode with happiness. "Oh, wow! Ai-chan's part of the team! Oh man, this is awesome~" Compa is also beaming. "With Ai-chan and Shirou-san on the team, we'll get this done in no time at all!"

IF and I simultaneously facepalm at their antics. "I'm sorry... You'll have to get used to this from here on out..." She shakes her head. "Nah, I saw this coming when I signed up for this..."

As we continue to observe our party members' weirdness, we try to calm them down before IF reconsiders joining to save her sanity.

***SCENE BREAK***

****After we discuss our plans, pack and agree to meet up tomorrow at the Basilicom, we head to our usual sleeping spots and rest up.

_"Shirou-san?"_

__Histoire's voice interrupts my stargazing. "Yes, Histoire?"

_"You defended me before, even though you didn't trust me... Why is that?"_

I chuckle at that. "Because we needed IF in. I had to put in a good word for you. Although..." I begin to smile. "It's not like you aren't any of those things, right, Histoire?"

The avatar pauses for a moment, then happily speaks up again. _"Thank you, Shirou-san. This world really can be saved with you and Neptune."_

"Glad to know you have faith in us, Histoire." I continue to gaze up at the night sky. "Well, I'm not sure if a being like you needs sleep, but I am just a human. I need to get some energy for tomorrow." The avatar concedes. _"Oh, I know you need your sleep. I do too, every now and then... Well then, good night, Shirou-san.__"_

"Good night, Histoire."

With that, she cuts the connection and I am left to look up at the night sky.

A new friend and comrade.

Our first journey into foreign lands.

Tomorrow will be a big day.

With these thoughts in mind, I close my eyes and drift off to sleep.


	4. Getting To Know More

_Oh gosh, I can't believe I forgot to explain why Shirou holds back… Crap._

_I'll explain it. For those who play RPGs, you know what happens if you're only an average (I repeat, AVERAGE) player and abandon character growth for the rest of your party. Making Shirou OP his way through the story and not give the rest any room to develop their skills? No, no, no, he can't do that._

_Also, I retconned him cooking in chapter 2. He needs to have a much more… satisfying reveal than the stupid one I gave him because I was nearly asleep…_

_If there are format issues, my sister's laptop acted up while I was typing the first few parts. Blame FF for conking out on me..._

_Oh, I don't own any series I reference, except possibly my DTs series, and we already know how many people have THAT name in the market…_

_And now, we begin our journey into Lastation. Enjoy!_

***CHAPTER START***

After a nice day of sleep and yet another painful defeat at Compa's hands for the battle of the sweet, sweet kitchen (But today will be

the last... HA! No more 'But it's the host's duty to cook' argument anymore!) and making sure everything's packed and ready(No

more lost discs Compa... She's apparently water, fitting since she's a nurse in training...), the three of us head out to meet IF.

"Ah... Goodbye, sweet home! One day, I shall see you again, basking in the glory and honor of victory, tons of achievement points

and credits galore, and being levelled up to the max!"

"Neptune, one, you've barely stayed here for three days and two, this isn't a goddamn game..."

And thus, we begin our journey, anticipation in our hearts and a headache in my forehead.

***SCENE BREAK***

"Ah, it's you guys! You're ready to leave?"

IF, the most experienced one in our party in travelling the world and the one who has agreed to guide and accompany us (My... just

like Rin in more than voice indeed..), is standing outside the painfully named and strangely empty Basilicom, which handles both

religious and political matters.

"Hello IF. Have you been waiting here for a while?" Shaking her head, she replies, "Nah, just got here a few minutes ago." She appears

to be fiddling with a pink cellphone, one thing that she and Rin definitely don't have in common...

"Oh wow, the Basilicom is so big and towering and pretty... Wait, where is everyone?" The hyperactive Neptune asks a question I'vebeen meaning to ask while she bounces around like a kid waiting to go on the roller coaster. With a sad tone, our newest companion answers, "They're all hiding from monsters... Planeptune's seems to have been ravaged the most out of all the lands... It's probably because they don't have the goddess' protection yet due to the fact that she's here right now..."

Crap. That actually seems like a very plausible explanation.

I wonder how much better off Planeptune would be if Neptune were in charge...

Yeah, they're better off without her for a while...

"Anyway, register us for Sky Harbor transfer. Just give them any info they ask for, OK?" Our CPU confidently says, "You got it!"

Before she leaves however, I give her the very important reminder of, "Remember Neptune, DO NOT tell anyone that you're theCPU! We don't need the attention right now!" Grinning at me again, the ditzy goddess shouts, "OK, Shi-kun! You can count on me!"

When she enters the Basilicom, I suddenly realize what we've just done.

"Why did we send her to register us again?" IF's eyes widen and in a short while her palm is on her face. "Oh, hell, what was I thinking..." Compa raises her hands and with determination declares, "Nep-Nep will do fine guys! I believe in her!"Both of us just silently gaze at her and slowly palm our faces in unison again.

***SCENE BREAK***

"Hey guys! I'm back!" We hear the calls of our divine friend and turn to her. "Did you remember everything I said? What did he ask for?" Replying while waving her hand at me up and down, she tells me, "Oh, relax Shi-kun, I did what you said! I told them we were going on a really long trip to kill monsters! They don't know a thing! I even told them that I was that Tsuki person you told me to be!"

I put a finger on her mouth. "Quiet down! That's good and all, but we don't want anybody hearing that, you idiot!" Both of our friends stare at me curiously as I keep my hands on Neptune's mouth. "Um, Shirou-san, why did you have Nep-Nep change her name?"I deadpan at her. "Come on, Compa. Name of landmass is Planeptune. Girl is purple-haired and is called Neptune. Come on." Compa pouts at my bluntness, while IF nods, "Ah, you want to erase any suspicions... Good job." Tilting her head curiously, she asks, "Why Tsuki though? There are better names out there." I sigh at that. "It was a long, hard battle against Neppermint, Nepster and and many other stupidly obvious names, but I called her Tsuki and I finished the argument quickly." Pausing, again, she asks, "OK... but why Tsuki?" I simply grin at her. "Personal preference."

What? Type-Moon would totally not mind being naming a goddess...

Holy crap, wouldn't it be ironic if I met a personification here...

As Neptune continues to try to get me off, IF asks, "OK, I get all that Shirou but... are you REALLY sure that you're going on this trip with nothing but a bokutou? We'll be facing off against some pretty strong monsters, you know?" Seeing the logic behind her words, I take my hands off Neptune and tell her, "Don't worry about that. With the windfall we gained from the funds we split, we bought Neptune a new sword and Compa- san some expired liquid, as well as enough supplies to last us until Lastation. Don't worry about it, I can do fine until we get there." IF stares at me incredelously. "Are you serious? That was the same one Nep-ko's been using for the past few days, and you just got it from a chest in the dungeons! Not to mention all the crap it's been through! You're really doing this!" With a grin, I say, "Oh, don't worry, I'll get new weapons when the time is right."

The right time can be anytime I feel like it actually, but more for when I believe they really need my help. I need them to get stronger,and mowing down all our enemies won't allow them to get any combat experience.

"Oh, to hell with that... That's it, we're taking on quests right now until we get you a better weapon!"

I contemplate this. Yes... I suppose getting a fallback weapon might actually be beneficial... "But are you sure? We could be heading there right now and if we go afterwards we might be tired..."

"But Shi-kun, we can't just abandon these people to the monsters! We have to help them out!"

A look of surprise covers my face as the normally apathetic Neptune says that she actually wants us to say and help out.

I break out into a small smile. Maybe Planeptune will have an excellent leader after all when this is all over.

"Well now... To think that you were the one who wanted to leave already yesterday..." As she sheepishly rubs the back of her head, I tell her, "You're growing up Neptune. You're right, that's exactly what we wanted to do when we set out on this mission, and wouldn't it be hypocritical if we didn't help out those we had the time and capability to?"

"OK then. Let's do what we can."

***SCENE BREAK***

We decided to come to the aid of the excruciatingly named ZECA (Though considering what Neptune represents, at least not ironically.) The first quest is to get Dogoo Gelatin Cells, simple enough that we took on another quest.

It was to defeat the 'speedy blue shadow' attacking its facilities.

THAT was painfully ironic.

And so we went through one of its factories, thankfully filled with Dogoos to speed things up a bit. After reaching the end, I prepared my head to take any more game referencing madness in the form of a speedy blue hedgehog.

It was a wolf.

Somehow, the shattering of my expectations makes my forehead ache even more.

"Goddammit... Let's just finish this..."

Suddenly, the wolf starts leaping around swiftly.

"I can't see ANYTHING!"

The wolf thinks it has us confused and disoriented, and ready for an easy meal.

Unfortunately, I've faced much quicker opponents than this furry jerk.

This thing is just too slow for my eyes.

"Neptune, slash behind you now!"

The CPU complies with my orders and manages to graze its fur. The wolf growls at the slight damage and slows its tempo just a tiny bit.

"Stay in a circle everybody! I'll observe its movements and force it to try and attack us!"

The wolf soon takes several hits to various parts of its body due to my observational tactics and the quick compliance of my allies.

The wolf appears to have noticed the reason it's being beaten down and starts to focus on me more often.

Good. I can end this.

"Everyone, it's going to attack me now! I'll draw it off and you guys finish it from behind!"

I dash towards a small corner of the current area to trick the wolf into thinking that I can't escape.

As it tries to bite me, I raise my blade and smash it against the wolf's advancing mouth. It does not cut through, and nor do his teeth. I support my blade with my hand as my opponent and I continue to glare at each other.

"Come on! Finish it!"

I wait silently for my comrades to come. Ten seconds... Twenty... Thirty...

Before I realize what's happening, the wolf suddenly stops its growling. It stares at me, starts to whimper and twitch its eyes and slowly collapses to the ground.

What just happened- Oh god.

I look at the wolf more closely and what greets me is a sight so painful it makes we cringe and twitch my eyes.

The reason the wolf had such an unceremonius collapse was because of how it happened.

Compa stuck her giant syringe up its butt.

The sight is traumatizing and horrifying.

I suddenly feel the urge to put one hand one my own rear to protect it.

Far away, both Neptune and IF don't seem to have taken it well either. Neptune has her tounge out in a disgusted look, while IF's eyes also seem to be twitching.

"Are you OK, Shirou-san? I hope I didn't come too late!"

Not having the heart to tell her that she's done me more psychological damage to me over the past few days than any physical pain any of the monsters have caused (which is to say for the latter, none at all), I simply mutter out, "Y-yes. Good job Compa," I say while I cover my rear painfully, "Good job."

She tries to pull out her syringe, but even more disgustingly, it's stuck, making horrifying sounds as she tries to take it out.

"Need help?"

Shaking her head, she puffs her cheeks up. "Al... most... There..."

With a mighty heave, she shouts, "KYAAAHHH!"

Compa falls to the floor, her legs spread wide openGAH!

AGAIN WITH THE PANTIES!

"Are you OK Compa-san? !" I ask, looking away from her embarrassed. "Y-yeah! I'm OK... Ow..."

Walking over to her, I offer my hand. "Err... just grab it so I don't see." Feeling her arm grasping mine, I use my strength to pull her up. "Th-thanks, Shirou-san..." Compa's looking down, slightly red and probably feeling the same as me.

Sighing again, I just reply, "No problem... No problem..."

IF's laughing just like Rin would, while Neptune is oddly silent.

I wonder why?

***SCENE BREAK***

We have time for one more job, fighting a Sand Worm back in the caves where we met IF.

It was pretty damn easy compared to last time. Hell, Neptune didn't even need HDD. All it took was a few pistol shots to the inner mouth from all of us, and it was gone easily.

As we head back to Planeptune, I suddenly feel a malevolent hostile presence in the area and hold my hand up.

"Stop. We're being watched."

Readying my blade, I shout out, "Who are you? Show yourself! We know you're there!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! So you know I'm here! Very interesting, little boy!"

A pale-skinned woman leaves the shadows, wearing a very revealing outfit and the stereotypical witch's hat. Her general appearance and the way she sounds sort of remind me of Caster, though I know that unlike her this one definitely doesn't have a hint of kindness in her.

"What's with the melodramatic laugh? Sounds so cliche and overused, yeesh..."

The witch's anger grows at the airheaded goddess' words. "So, you haven't changed at all even after falling to the lower world... Always know how to push people's buttons..."

I narrow my eyes at her outrage.

This woman has just heavily hinted at the possibility that we may be facing an enemy of divine origin.

So far, the only such entities I know of in this world are the four CPUs and Histoire... Who could...

Wait.

_"I created you all alongside the other goddess..._

_But that was a dire mistake."_

"You... Might you be the other goddess Histoire mentioned, I wonder..."

The witch suddenly stops her arrogant cackling and glares at me with a furious look on her face. "Who are you to say such things, little boy? How do you know that woman?" She gives me an analytical expression and becomes curious."You... You are different from the others here, even moreso than the brat... Foreign... Alien... Not of these worlds..."

Her words and reactions might as well have confirmed my suspicions.

She is our enemy.

An extremely dangerous one, if Histoire was correct.

"Shi-kun, what is she talking about..."

Alarm very evident in my voice, I quietly warn the others. "This one is dangerous... Neptune, transform. IF, Compa-san, get ready."

My friends are mystified at my words but realizing the meaning of even me thinking and saying these them makes them follow my orders quickly, Neptune undergoing HDD and IF and Compa adopting fighting stances.

In response, the witch brandishes a four bladed short spear that may very well be a staff or wand, a sort of more versatile casting medium. Her power rises as she begins to float in the air just like our own divine ally.

"You shall meet your demise now, fools! Prepare to die!"

***SCENE BREAK***

The battle begins with the witch trying to stab Neptune. She was fairly fast in her assault, but I intercepted it easily.

IF tries to dash up to her and slice her, but the mystery woman breaks off before it connects. She blocks all of Compa's shots as well. She's skilled enough... but so far, to our luck, not as much as I thought she would be.

Perhaps not coincidentally, all her attacks so far have been focused on Neptune. She probably thinks that Neptune is the only one worth paying attention to being a goddess.

Let me change that.

"Boy, stop your interference NOW! I will be forced to unleash more of my power on a feeble human like you if you do not cease your annoyances!"

With a cold voice, I reply, "Go ahead. So far, you've disappointed me greatly, so why don't you do just that?"

Her face contorts into one of immense displeasure and rage... but then breaks out into a vicious, murderous smile. "Very well then... If that is what you wish!"

Rather unexpectedly, her speed increases and she attempts to thrust her spear into me.

Did I say unexpectedly? Her speed was absolutely pathetic compared to the Lancers I've seen, and even _Caster_ can get more out of that.

Rather half-heartedly, I block the thrust with the back edge of my blade and punch her with reinforcement.

"Really? That is all? Please, continue to demonstrate your power, pathetic dark one."

Her shock turns into even more anger. "You... You will pay for these insults!"

I sigh as she continues her futile barrage. I barely have to use both hands. Each slash she makes is blocked and countered, each thrust easily sidestepped and repaid. I wonder how it must feel, a divinity like her, wielding a spear, being repelled easily by a human with a bokutou? Insulting.

The rest of the party is simply watching in awe at how uncaring I seem to be of this battle.

"Oy. Don't just stand there. Get your hits in."

Snapping out of their stupor, they get back into the fight. The woman seems to be getting a little overwhelmed, so she backs off again and tries a new tactic.

"Feel this!"

Red energy shoots out from her spear, heading straight for me. Sensing danger, I hop back instead of blocking it and find to my displeasure that it was fire.

I would have lost a good sword if I wasn't careful.

"OK everyone... I think I'll need a bit of your help now."

I decide on a new strategy. I get in close and simply draw her aggression. Distracted by her personal vendetta against me, the others easily get their shots and slices in. We soon wear down our opponent now that Neptune is more prepared for any counter attacks and has become much faster than at the start of the battle as a result.

***SCENE BREAK***

"Well? Had enough, witch?"

As she stands in a corner and breathes heavily, she asks with frustration, "Why... Why are you so powerful? ! You're just a bunch of measly humans, and that bratty CPU doesn't even look like she exercises..." She starts to nod her head as though realizing something. "Yes... that's it... you're in Planeptune, her home turf..."

"Rationalizing your loss? How sad."

"Shut up!" She stares at all of us with resentment. "Next we meet... will be the last..." She looks at me again and directs her hate towards me. "I won't forget this, boy... Soon, perhaps you will learn to stay out of other people's affairs."

With a cold voice, I reply, "Unfortunately, that is impossible for me. Go ahead and run away. I'll be waiting to make sure that next we meet will be the last I see of you as well, witch."

As our aggressor escapes in disgust, I turn to the others again. IF looks at me suspiciously.

"Hey... what was all that about an evil goddess anyway? Something we should know?"

I turn to Neptune. "Do you remember our conversation with Histoire, Neptune?" She becomes silent for a while, and then nods her head. "Yes. Which part?"

Addressing the whole group, I say, "During one part of our conversation, Histoire told us that she created the goddesses alongside another..." I recall her words and reiterate them to the party ominously.

"...She said it was a dire mistake."

All of them become confused when IF widens her eyes. "You mean to say that... We just faced off against one of the creators of all the goddesses and won? !"

I discourage any pride the party might feel from this. "Do not underestimate her. She was simply too arrogant for her own good. I've seen people waste all their power due to their pride, that fatal weakness becoming the cause of defeats when they should've easily won."

Gilgamesh. You lost against me because you were arrogant, too arrogant to unleash Ea before I had the chance to stop it.

So did this one.

"And Shirou... What was that about you being foreign anyway? What does she mean?"

I become silent.

Should I tell them everything? Should I tell them where I come from, why I'm here, the reason for my existence in this distant universe?

"... I don't know. Histoire said the same thing. Perhaps we'll find out over the course of our travels."

No. Not yet.

When the time comes that my powers are to be revealed... Yes, that will be the time.

"Shirou-san, you have amnesia too?"

I look at Compa and chuckle at that. "Just a bit Compa-san. Just a bit."

It's true anyway. After all, I have no idea of who the hell I was before the fire.

"Anyway... IF, should we still go for Lastation today? I think it's too late and we're tired from everything that just happened." Though I may not have the cooking tonight... It's for the best.

My suffering is nothing compared to the success of our journey.

"Hmm... Yeah, you're right. We'll head back home for now."

I gently ask, "Please, join us back at Compa-san's home. We're party members now. We'll be together for quite a while... It's the least we can do for all the help you've given us."

IF contemplates this for a while and smile. "OK then... Thanks, Shirou."

Compa becomes contemplative as well then nods her head. "Shirou-san... You wanted to cook, right?" I nod my head. "It's OK Compa-san... it's your house. I should respect that. You can cook tonight."

She shakes her head and then beams at me. "For all your hard work today and for protecting all of us... You can cook tonight!"

I freeze in my walk.

I slowly twist my head towards her. Did she just say...

"I... can... cook?"

She nods happily. "Yes! You can cook tonight!"

I suddenly feel the urge to cry. I walk up to her and cup her hands in mine, my palms trembling. "Thank you! Thank you, Compa-san! You will not be disappointed tonight, I swear it!"

Blushing at the sudden contact, she stutters out, "S-sure, Shirou-san... It's no problem..."

Neptune is quietly regarding this scene for whatever reason. She seems a little down...

Odd.

"Anything wrong?" She shakes her head and says quietly, "No, it's nothing..."

I let go of Compa's hands and walk towards Neptune. "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

I still can't get this... Ah well.

"You did well today. Just be sure to always remain on guard, she nearly got you at the beginning." Nodding her head, she says, "I understand. Thank you for... protecting me again."

Why did she hesitate? Is there suppose to be something special behind me protecting others?

"It was no problem." With a spring in my step and the promise of some long-awaited kitchen time, we head back to Planeptune to report the results.

***SCENE BREAK***

After getting a sizable amount of money, we head back for Compa's house when we suddenly see a gigantic truck.

"Is it recycling day today?"

Neptune points out something she sees. "Something funky's on it! Looks like furniture, but it's not like anything I've ever seen, no sir!"

I deadpan, "Neptune, considering your amnesia, that may not be very much at all." I look in the direction she's facing and say, "That's a jukebox. It plays music when you place old vinyl recording discs inside." IF nods. "Yeah. Don't see much of those around anymore." Compa marvels at this. "Vinyl? Wow, Mr. Jukebox must be a real antique!"

"That is correct."

An elderly man makes his presence known, his voice melancholic and depressed.

"Oh, I'm sorry to interrupt you sir! I was just musing out loud about how wonderful it must've been!"

The old man stops working on the jukebox and chuckles. "Don't worry, I was about to take a break anyway." A small, bitter smile forms. "...And you're right. It was wonderful."

Neptune asks, "Is it broken?" Nodding his head, the old man sadly says, "Yup. Can't find any parts to fix it... Useless stuff gets thrown away..."

I become silent at his words. This jukebox must have been an important part of the man's life for him to act like this...

"It's sad. This company... it had its roots in selling these beauties."

Curious, IF questions, "Isn't this a game company?" Turning to her, I explain, "Many companies change as time goes by, becoming radically different from their origins due to times, technology, business... A card-manufacturer could become the next big game company, for example." The old man nods his head. "You have a bright head on your shoulders, young man. That's right. Many of the game companies you now see today had their humble beginnings as jukebox sellers. When games became big and the technology progressed, they changed over."

Becoming melancholy yet again, he stares at the antique machine. "Youths back then found the loves of their lives dancing to the music this old thing played... The beautiful melodies, the lovely tunes..."

My compassion turns into pity.

Excited, Compa shouts, "Wow! It's like a musical cupid!" The man, still fondly recalling old memories, replies bitterly, "Yeah... that it was, little lady..."

Sighing, he looks away. "Well, I better leave now... Anytime you need some classical rock'n'roll... This'll be sitting around here..."

With a happy shout, Neptune declares, "OK, oji-san!"

He nods and starts to walk away.

"It'll probably start working when you forget it's even existed... Ah well..."

"Wait."

The old man stops at my request. "Yes, boy? What is it?"

I walk up to the jukebox and put my hand on it, using Structural Grasp Magecraft on it. The insides are a bit rusty and several parts are indeed missing...

As I grasp the structure, I examine the memories hidden within...

"She was beautiful."

The man eyes me curiously. "What?"

"Long flowing brown hair... deep green eyes... You met her for the first time, dancing together to the music of this old treasure, didn't you?"

The old man gasps. "H-how... How did you..."

"Old man, don't give up on your memories so easily. The ones you love may be gone, but the things that remind you of them, the good and bad times you went through together... They can keep you going."

I take a look at the truck and abandon public decency by climbing inside.

"Hey, Shirou, what are you-!"

I scan for parts I can use... Bolts... Wood... A bit of this and that...

I take out a wrench from within my pockets. Jumping down with all my supplies, I start working on the man's most valuable reminder of his happy life.

...

"Done, old man. Why don't you try it out?"

As the others stare at me wide-eyed, the old man slowly walks over to the old machine and, with shaking fingers, presses play.

The sound is weak, but an old love song, passionate and catchy manages to make its way out of the ancient discs and into our ears.

Tears of nostalgia fall from the man's face. "Oh... It works again... Oh thank you, thank you..." He continuously shakes my hand as he cries. "Young man... How can I ever repay you?"

I smile at him. "Be happy. That's how I've wanted to live my life: Making others happy. Never forget her old man. She'd want you to be happy."

He nods his head rapidly. "Thank you so much, kids! Just pass by if you want some rockin' tunes to listen to! I'll always provide for you!"

The man leaves with the jukebox in his hands, joyfully bringing with him the happiness his wife wanted for him.

"Wow, Shirou... That was amazing. I didn't know you knew how to work machines..."

I turn to IF and smile again. "That was my job for a while... It was nice to use it for something nice again..."

"Hey, Shi-kun... what you said about making people happy..."

"Yup. All true. That's what I want for my life in a nutshell." Beaming at me, she says, "It's a little cheesy... But it's awesome!" Compa nods as well. "That's very admirable, Shirou-san!" Even IF, who has Rin's voice and thus makes the words that follow extremely ironic, tells me, "You know, that's not a bad way to live at all..."

Wow... That... That actually makes me feel good... Nobody calling me an idiot for that.

"You're some of the few people that say that... Thanks, guys."

Now feeling even more invigorated, we make our way back to Compa's house.

***SCENE BREAK***

Oh... The sweet pleasures of cooking... Ah, how I've missed you so...

Slicing the veggies, dicing the meat, boiling the soup... They all relax me and bring me back to simpler days.

Finished with the preparation, I look forward to the next part: How others think.

"Enjoy the food everyone."

IF, Compa and Neptune stare at my food with wide eyes, and the goddess is drooling at the sight.

Miso soup, tofu steak, shrimp tempura and beef enoki all invite the onlookers to indulge in the feast.

"Wow, Shirou-san... It looks amazing..."

"Damn, Shirou... Just, damn...

"I wanna eat already!"

"Hold it, hold it girls... You know what to do first."

Clasping our hands together, we shout, _"Itadakimasu!"_

Compa politely starts digging in, IF starts to eat a little roughly, while Neptune ravenously consumes the dishes. "Oh wow... Dish ish sho goooooood!" Compa widens her eyes. "Shirou-san... This is so good! It's even better than my cooking!" IF does this as well. "God, this is so good... I can't even cook at all!"

I wisely choose to hold back my laughter at the irony right now. Ah, the times when Rin tried to take over the position as house chef, and now here 'she' is saying she can't cook at all...

"Thanks everyone. Glad you all enjoyed it."

IF starts to praise me. "OK, so you can fight, think up battle strategies in the blink of an eye, fix machines, and now you can cook... What CAN'T you do? !"

I chuckle at her. "A lot of things, IF. Please, you all have your own strengths and weaknesses. I have my own. We all need each other if we're gonna save the world, got that?"

IF smiles at me. "Maybe so, Shirou... Maybe so... Yeah, you're right."

As we have one last night of celebration, I bond with the people who will be my comrades for the journey ahead, laughing alongside them and getting closer to them as we prepare for the beginning of our mission.


	5. Steampunk City

_Hello everyone. It's me again. Thanks for all the reviews. They really help._

_A few things have changed. Until now, I've been typing on other people's computers, so time constraints have lowered the quality of my work.  
_

_Now that I'm back home from the US, I finally have my own laptop again. Goodie.  
_

_I also need to give special thanks to the following people, who I PROBABLY should have mentioned right from the start. These would be Some Random Tosser (Hyperdimension Neptunia is Real!) and D. (Hyperdimensional Infinite Neptunia) for their fics. Any ideas I may have taken from them, intentional or unintentional, you'll see them. Just need to let you know where they came from.  
_

_But the biggest influence is gabrielblessing, the man who rekindled my love for F/SN through his epic crossover fics Hill of Swords and In Flight. Haven't checked them out? Do so. Seriously, read them now!  
_

_Anyway, finally, Lastation, here we come! The references to other DTs and the adventures they've went on will start piling up from here, which sucks because I need to freaking write about them one of these days!  
_

_I own no series I reference except my own.  
_

_OK, let's start..._

***CHAPTER START***

Breakfast has come on the fated day. I let Compa cook in her house one last time, a last respect from one chef to another. She really went all out today, teriyaki, miso soup and some incredible and energizing nikujaga...

She really wants us to be prepared for today.

"Thank you for the good cooking Compa-san. It's really good." Shaking her head and smiling she replies, "It's no problem, Shirou-san! Yours was great last night too! Maybe we can even swap recipes some time!" Brightening up, I smile back at her and say, "I'd love to."

Neptune stops her ravenous eating for a moment to stare at us oddly... But then shakes her head and returns to the feast, albeit a little slower.

Again, odd.

Compa's radio suddenly breaks out into a catchy tune. IF turns to look at it rather quickly, showing signs of excitement. A young woman's voice follows, and it seems that this is a radio show.

_"Hi everyone! It's 5pb here for Hi-Five Radio! Wow, it's been a while, everyone! How've you all been?"_

Curious at the content and also latching on to the name I heard, I ask, "Oh, a morning talk show? Who's the host?"

IF looks at me as though I were living under a rock and shouts, "You don't know? Are you kidding me?-!That's 5pb, the awesome hostess and musician!"

5pb? The 5 powered and basics video game and record label company? Wow... Another possible party member so fast...

Isn't it fitting that she's a musician, a radio hostess no less?

"Anyway, shush! She's talking again!"

IF is uncharacteristically enthusiastic... She must be a really big fan...

_"Today I'll be reading out messages from the listeners and other fans! It can be about anything and everything, life updates, music, love confessions, thank yous... you name it! They can be just for me or for anyone else! OK then, let's start with this one from a Planeptune civilian!"_

Clearing her throat she begins reading the message. _"'Hello 5pb and all fellow civilians! You know, I feel like there have been less monsters lately on Planeptune... It used to be ravaged horribly, but now I can feel that good days are coming! I'd like to thank all the people who have been working hard to fend them off! I can't do anything for them... So I'll cheer them on! Keep at it everybody!' Wow, awesome guys! It's really cool that you're doing all this for the people!"_

Wow... We really are making a difference...

_"OK, One last... Oh wow, the same thing, and now it's from ZECA's Director himself, Director Yuzawa! 'Greetings everyone. Recently I've been troubled by a mysterious monster being attacking our cargo trucks and factories. I was at a loss, when suddenly I was saved by three mysterious girls and the man accompanying them! Such power at such an age... they were like the goddesses' answers to our prayers... Perhaps they were the goddesses themselves, a guardian with them! You never know what life will throw your way, huh? I feel just a little jealous of the guy though...' I'm happy for you Director! They could even be Planeptune's peacemakers, the reason the civilian said good days were coming! A group of monster hunters... Wow, they really could be the answer to our prayers! The guy must really be lucky to be with such strong girls!"_

Wouldn't you know it, even ZECA's Director publicly thanked us... Really reminds us what we're fighting for. Its rather hilarious that he's actually right about one of us being a goddess.

Although...

"Was that last comment really necessary?" God, I get that enough from my friends back home and even at DTs...

Compa has a bit of red on her cheeks, Neptune is chewing her food happily, while IF bangs her fists on the table and screams, "Are you kidding me?-! HIM?-! There's no way I'd get together with someone like him!"

Obviously oblivious to the... 'discomfort' that she caused us, the hostess announces the end of today's show. _"Well, it looks like I'm out of time... Well, till next time everyone! This is 5pb, signing off!" _After signing off, another voice declares, _"This show was brought to you by White Heart-sama."_

Ah... The inevitable sponsor announcement, present even all the way over here...

"Oh, by the way, who's this White Heart-sama?"

Giving up on defending herself, IF sits down and answers, "One of the four goddesses: White Heart-sama for Lowee, Black Heart-sama for Lastation and Green Heart-sama for Leanbox. I think Neptune's Purple Heart."

White, black and green... All colors deeply related to the consoles they personify... Am I right in assuming that the Neptune was supposed to be purple?

It also appears to be that one of the goddesses has been using the radio for some campaigning... Considering IF's enthusiasm, it's very likely that this show is quite popular and decided to snag it up quickly...

"Whoa, super! It sounds like a magical girl squad!"

I chuckle at that. In retrospect Neptune reminds me of a a reverse transformation of Rin's.

The Root knows how much I laughed at her after I showed her how she acted as Kaleido-Ruby...

"You know, it actually does..." Glancing at the time, I clap my hands and announce, "OK everyone, we'll head out soon, so let's finish this up quickly!" Before we do, however, IF furrows her brows at me and asks, "Are you really sure we shouldn't pass by the shops first? You're still using that bokutou!"

I smirk at her and say, "Hey, it's fought off slimy canines, 8-bit invader knockoffs and even giant wolves. I think it'll last." Finally giving up on ever seeing me wield another weapon, she sighs, "Fine then, you stubborn idiot... Let's go to the Harbors..."

***SCENE BREAK***

I've officially come to the conclusion that this trip will give me the most headaches out of any journey I've ever had.

If EVERY trip the Sky Harbors, a facility we'll have to rely on just to travel to the other landmasses, is THIS headache-inducing, I'll have terminal head pains before I even reach all of them! Seriously? Pugilists destroying boxy cars and barrels? Freaking DETRIS?-! COME ON!

But I suppose it's something I'll have to endure.

Besides, the view from the Sky Harbors is absolutely breathtaking.

And Neptune knows it.

"Ooh, wow, the ground is split! I betcha it happened during a totally crazy, epic war between some profound sort of darkness and some great, shining light!"

As Neptune runs over towards the edge to look at the view and spouts out the cliche backstory of nearly every one of my unit's adventures, Compa smiles at her nervously while IF and I palm our faces.

"I'm sorry about this... She's so excitable..." Crossing her arms and sighing, IF turns to me and says, "You know... I sometimes wonder if she was like this even before she got her amnesia..." Pausing for a moment, she asks, "Speaking of which, how did that happen anyway?"

Putting a hand on my chin, I recall that fateful night. "Well... Histoire infiltrated my dreams one night, asking me to help someone who can free her and aid her on this journey, 'one who has fallen'. Just like you, I had reservations about the request, but cut to a few moments after I wake up and I see a falling star. I chased it and found out that it was Neptune in her transformed HDD state. I managed to catch her and prevent her from undergoing a fatal crash, but we hit the ground several times before we collided with a tree in the area. This, combined with all the bruises and cuts I saw on her, suggesting that she was badly beaten during a battle, may have caused her amnesia."

I pause in my recollection to find that IF is just staring at me wide-eyed with a look of disbelief. "Wait... So, you CAUGHT a goddess that fell from the heavens."

Sighing at the predictable reaction, I nod,"...Yes."

Shaking her hands rapidly, Compa defends me. "It's true, IF-san! I saw a falling star that night too! I ran after it and then I heard a lot of bangs and crashes! When I arrived at the crash site, there was a trail of craters and a really long impact line, and at the end of it all was Shirou-san, cradling Nep-Nep protectively!"

Staring at me again, the brunette sighs, "OK, OK, I can believe you now..." Unexpectedly, she straightens up and tells Compa, "Oh, this has been bugging me for a while, but can you just call me IF like I said before? No need for formal honorifics..."

"Ai-chan, Compa, Shi-kun, hurry up! The view is stupendous from here! Are you three scared? I bet you are! Ha! I'm so brave!"

As Neptune's ravings interrupt our discussion, an annoyed IF furrows her brows and complains, "Meanwhile, someone here is being TOO friendly... She doesn't quite get her place beneath me." Bluntly, I counter, "You do realize that under normal circumstances she'd be quite a bit above you?"

Becoming silent for a few moments, IF droops over and mutters quite helplessly, "The fact that you're right frustrates me to no end."

"I know," I console her. Seeing that Neptune is becoming a little too excited, I excuse myself. "I'll try to calm her down before she hurts herself... Excuse me."

I walk over to the energetic goddess and put my weight on the metal railings to observe the view. The majestic sky, so clear and blue, feels calming and peaceful. The clouds are white and fluffy, and the birds are flying together, riding the wind.

"It's breathtaking, isn't it?"

Nodding at me, she shouts, "It sure is!"

Smiling at her innocence, I turn around and lean on the metal bars, my back supported by them and my arms on them, and my eyes closed in quiet reflection.

"Neptune... This might be the last time you'll see this beautiful sight in a while... who knows how different the other landmasses are? Who know how long and hard this journey may be? Sure, we may have to return to Planeptune in the middle of it, but would we have the time to enjoy it like this?" I pause and give her some advice. "So be quiet, be still. Close your eyes and forget your worries. Feel the cool breeze blowing through your hair, washing all over your face. Think that nothing's wrong with the world. Try it, Neptune. Take the chance to just... relax."

Neptune becomes silent. Even through my closed eyes, I can feel her shifting her weight and following my advice, finding a good spot on the metal bars.

For the next few minutes, nothing but the sound of the wind, the chirping of the birds, can be heard.

It feels... meditative. For but a few moments, all my worries, fears and regrets are washed away.

"You're right, Shi-kun... this feels... nice..."

I open my eyes and look to the goddess beside me.

She's resting her head on her arms, her eyes closed just like mine. Her lips aren't in the form of her usual childish grin, but in the form of a quiet smile, the kind you would find in the face of a girl who looks her age, children who shouldn't be fighting for the future, but looking forward to it and enjoying it.

It's just so... adorable.

It makes me wonder why the world would give her this burden, however much she may accept it with open arms.

"Isn't it?" I tell her. Fading back into reality again, I pat her back before she can fall asleep. "Come on now... IF and Compa-san are waiting for us... And we don't need you dozing off..."

Shaking herself awake, Neptune gleefully follows me back to our comrades, the more experienced one crossing her arms and tapping her foot in a position I find so familiar. Impatient, she asks us, "What took you so long?" Going back to my usual neutral expression, I answer, "I took the chance to relax and enjoy the view with her, taught her how to meditate. Not like there's anything wrong with that." Contemplating this for a moment, IF manages a small smile. "Yeah... You're right. It would be good for her to be quiet every now and then. You know, she's never like this, and you're the only one who can make her reflect like this. How do you do it?"

With a smirk on my face. I simply reply, "I just do."

I turn to Compa and ask, "So, Compa-san... Can you explain the Sky Harbors to us?" Smiling at us and nodding, Compa begins her lecture on our current location."Sky Harbors are where the landmasses come together! That doesn't mean the ground is split here, Nep-Nep!"

Nodding in understanding, Neptune then asks, "So, how do I get across? Do I jump? Do I shout 'wahoo' as I do it?"

Before I can recover from the painful reference, IF deadpans, "Why not slap on a red cap and some overalls while you're at it?"

I inwardly cringe at the barrage of tasteless allusions. God, please, make it stop!

Fortunately, IF's lecture allows me to force myself out of the trauma. "We needed the Basilicom's permission to lower it the other day, and now we can use it anytime we can."

IF then has another Rin moment, supporting one arm's elbow with the other and raising the first's pointer finger, signalling the start of a longer lesson.

"OK everyone, this is how we travel from each landmass. Every now and then, two landmasses will approach each other. This is how it always will be, so we need to check the landmass contact schedule every time we arrive. When it does arrive and we want to leave, we have to go through a short dungeon, and at the exit is our destination. This process is called Terraportation."

"Hrgh..."

Another horrible instance of wordplay! Goddammit, the world doesn't even have the _decency_ to let me get off with cheesy puns!

And that isn't even teleportation! Come on!

"Ahem... A question." I cough into my hands and attempt to forget the undignified allusions and puns by inquiring about a disturbing implication. "So... how do normal people travel to other landmasses?"

IF answers, "They hire mercenaries or rely on stealth and the fact that the dungeon is short and has weak monsters. But for the most part, people aren't well-traveled."

"That's dangerous. What about normal people or even tourists? What do they do?" I ask. If the method of travel is like this, I sincerely hope that not many have died due to it.

Though, in all honesty, for people like me, this beats a boring plane ride any day.

"I know... but there's not much we can do about it," IF tells us with a frown on her face. I become silent at that, trying to think of a way to change the system, when I suddenly have a bright idea. "Maybe not us... but if Histoire is as powerful as she claims she is, perhaps she can help."

As the rest brightens up at my plan, we all nod at each other as we look towards the gate.

"Goodbye, dear Planeptune! You will be sorely missed! I shall return with tons of credits, max EXP level and achievement points galore!"

I nurse a growing headache in my forehead, but decide to let Neptune have her gaming ways for a little while longer and smile at the others.

"Alright ladies... Let's do this."

***SCENE BREAK***

As we enter, we find...

"Another crystal cave."

OK, this a little anticlimactic.

"We spent all that time preparing for this?" I ask the world, as though it were spiting me. Looking back at the past few days, I wonder if there were some higher power than Histoire that has made some sort of agreement with the Root to make my life miserable. "Yeah, I was expecting a sprawling field, welcoming us into the first step of our epic quest to save the world!" I deadpan at Neptune with furrowed brows. "Neptune, IF specifically said that it would be a short dungeon. Sprawling fields are neither of those things."

"Yeah. Very unoriginal. For some reason, I have the urge to blame someone, I don't know who," Our experienced brunette guide sighs out. "At least it's short," she says.

"B-but, the crystals are blue this time!" Compa tries to console us.

"Now the purple crystals are blue. Wow, big difference there." Shaking my head, I just mutter, "Let's just get this over with..."

And we did. Barely ten minutes later and we're already at the end of the road!

I think I should reconsider what I said awhile ago. This is actually THAT much more efficient than a boring plane ride.

But this isn't all bad, at least. This can be a nice way to warm-up and get some loot from the other landmasses, so I suppose I can accept it for now.

The exit path is bright, as though trying to give SOME sort of dramatic emphasis on our destination to make up for the pitifully short dungeon trek.

"Into the light, my faithful companions! Let us take the first step into a brand new world!"

Palming my face and simultaneously covering my eyes, we leave the Sky Harbor road.

When our eyes adjust to the light, a black city greets us. Countless factories belch out smoke from their pumps, covering the city in a blanket of smog. The dark skies and the size of the buildings give off an ominous feeling of a corrupt, steampunk city.

Our guide IF, standing in front of us and extending one hand towards the city announces, "Welcome to Lastation, everyone."

Neptune takes in the sights like a child on questionable levels of sugar, jumping around and pointing at everything. "Wow, everything's so futuristic and spiffy and steampunky!"

I look around for a few moments and would usually take in a deep breath to add to that, but there's no way I'm taking a chance on all this polluted air.

As per her job as a guide and someone with Rin's voice, IF begins talking about our current location. "As you can see, it's in the middle of an industrial revolution. As such, factories and other workplaces like them dot the landmass, unfortunately making it look the way it is now."

Putting one finger on her chin, Neptune asks, "So, the theme of each land matches the goddess' preference?"

I'm actually surprised when IF tells us, "I don't think so. The goddesses may be here to protect us, but us humans develop the civilization."

Divine beings descending into the world to protect the people but actually leaving them be, becoming figureheads and symbols of progress and their lands instead of the other way around... It's something unusual and something I can support.

"Aw, that's so realistic..." I would often make some blank commentary at this, but then I remember who she is: A girl so used to gaming, an amnesiac even, who is just getting used to the world that would worship her.

Perhaps it is too realistic for her. But she'll have to get used to it.

Turning to the rest of us, Neptune asks, "Compa, Shi-kun, what do you think?"

Shaking her head, Compa sadly responds, "I'm sorry, I'm not too familiar with this kind of thing..." Disappointedly, IF says, "Aw, I guess it doesn't appeal to mainstream girls... I actually like the feel of this place." Now looking towards me after telling us about her opinions on the landmass and Compa's feminity, the brunette asks me, "So? How about you, Shirou?"

I ponder this for a moment, my arms crossed as I close my eyes and furrow my brows. "Well... I do have a certain fondess for metallurgy, the forge, machines and similar things... but it's just a little too gloomy and dirty for my tastes. I think I'd like this place if it was just a little cleaner. For now, I prefer Planeptune's clear, sunny skies."

Neptune's smile becomes a little bigger for some reason, probably her pride as a goddess coming back now. IF seems to accept my words. "Well, yeah, I can understand where you're coming from. I wouldn't mind a cleaner place too." With that, our guide declares, "Well then, to the Basilicom!"

***SCENE BREAK***

"'scuse me! Is anyone there? I'd like to get some info on monsters!"

As we arrive at Lastation's Basilicom, disappointing my expectations by looking exactly the same, Neptune rather impolitely announces our reasons for coming here.

"Why do we make her do this again?" I ask my companions as I rub my forehead to calm myself. Sighing, IF grumbles out, "Who says we do? She just runs ahead of us and does it before we can stop her."

Shortly after Neptune's outburst, an old man with lavish and holy robes, probably the moderator of the Basilicom, comes out of the doors and curiously inquires, "Monsters? What are you going to do with this information?"

Walking up to him, I begin explaining. "We need to defeat the strongest monsters in the area. Can you provide us with any leads?"

Hearing this, the moderator sneers at us, his face displaying much displeasure. With much arrogance, he retorts, "Defeat monsters? Don't be so foolish. Even the Lastation Defense Force doesn't stand a chance against them. You're nothing but children! Go home!"

I slowly clench my fists at the man's reply. This is the kind of man who addresses the political and religious needs of the people?

Putting up a determined front, Compa responds, "Y-you shouldn't judge us by our appearances! We've defeated lots of strong monsters before!"

Shaking her head, IF dissaudes Compa from trying to convince our oppressor. "Don't even try Compa. He's way too stuck-up. Shows what kind of leader Lady Black Heart is if the people who serve her act like this."

The man predictably becomes outraged at IF's criticism, but not for the reasons I expected. "We're not like those who suck up to Black Heart! I don't care what people say about us, but don't confuse us for them!"

The situation is even more dire than I thought. Division between the people during a crisis like this? This is ridiculous.

Neptune begins to frown and look down at the ground, hurt. That must've have struck a soft spot, being a CPU herself.

I slowly start to lose control of myself.

"You brats better scram already or I'm going to have to hurt you!"

OK, that's it. If he threatens to hurt the people he's supposed to by helping, let alone my friends, he needs to shut up now.

Trying not to look sad and defeated, Neptune shouts, "Hey, don't say that to us! I bet we're a lot stronger than you!"

I silence Neptune by raising my arm and blocking her. "Give it up Neptune. It's obvious this old fool has no idea what he's babbling about." The man's sneer turns into an infuriated glare. "Boy, you better watch your mouth in front of me! What would you know about my duties?-!"

"A lot more than you, incompetent." I walk up to my opponent and face him head on. "The world is on the brink of chaos. People are dying every day from all the problems that need to be addressed, while the ones left still suffer and will soon follow. And yet what are you doing? Barking at us, venting your frustrations on people who just want to help solve all of these problems and hurting a little girl in the process."

As the elder begins to fume with rage, I show him my cold fury, returning his glare with my own. My own comrades become silent, shocked at my sudden retaliation and how it was done. "All people expect you to do is to just let them in and assist them politely, and you get paid. You can't even do that right. Instead, you're brushing them off just because you feel like it, not even having the respect to deny their pleas with the slightest bit of courtesy." The man begins to back away at my chastisement. "You hate kids like us? It's children like us who are giving everything to build a better future for this world. It's brats like us that join the Defense Force you don't even believe in and sacrifice their lives to defend the people and idiots like you every day. It's fools like you who are just standing around, twiddling their thumbs and having an easy life, complaining."

Our oppressor can do nothing but contort his face into furious expressions. "You don't even know anything about us. We've been fighting off monsters in Planeptune, and without our asking people have thanked us for what we've been doing for them." I finally pause for a moment, my anger gradually subsiding. "So before you can rant to us about how foolish we are... Think about what you've done for this nation over the recent past. You seem to think you know what you're doing, so join the failing Defense Force and make a difference before you have the audacity to judge and reject others."

Walking back towards the city, I call for my friends. "Let's go back to the city, girls. Leave this hypocrite to himself and let him reflect on his foolishness."

As my friends slowly catch up to me, the man continues to glare at us. However, the arrogant moderator says nothing as we leave him alone, standing in front of the empty place of worship.

***SCENE BREAK***

"Oh... what do we do now? We couldn't even get inside..."

We have returned to the Central City proper. Compa bemoans our setback and wonders what to do next.

"He didn't have to be so mean... I guess people are different everywhere you go, huh? The world can be so cruel sometimes..."

My anger almost flares up again at how depressed Neptune sounded. Perhaps I should've added some physical blows as well. Did he have to lay bare to her how unjust the world can be, even to those who just want to make it a better place?

Even the normally composed IF can't contain her outrage. "Did you hear what he was talking about? He went too far out of line, talking about his CPU like that." I agree with her, saying, "Though I can't say anything about Lady Black Heart yet, I'm beginning to hope that he's right in saying that the people who serve her are nothing like him."

IF then turns to me, a tint grin on her face. "You know, I hated every word coming out of that guy's mouth, but hearing you put him in his place made it totally worth it." Compa nods at me. "You were a bit scary... But everything you said was right! You really knew what to say!"

I manage a small smile. "Thanks for that. He needed it, and people like that really piss me off."

I turn to the purple-haired girl and ask, "Are you OK, Neptune?"

The goddess is still silent, still looking so sad.

I can't let her stay like this.

I kneel down and put my hands on her shoulders. "Listen, Neptune. The world really can be unforgiving at times. This might not be the last one. All you can do is just take it and never stop believing in yourself and what you stand for." I pause and look at the other two, who nod at me approvingly. "And you won't be alone. Never forget that, OK?"

Neptune's eyes widen for a moment. Slowly, she starts to raise her head, and when she faces me she's smiling and a small blush is one her cheeks. "Thanks Shi-kun... Thanks..."

"Glad to hear it, Neptune." Now standing up again, we begin discussing our next move. Having returned to normal, Neptune starts the conversation, what usually happens. "So... should we ask the townspeople for information?"

"An excellent idea. I suggest we do that later," I respond. "However, I think our first order of business is to find some lodgings. I don't want us to be too tired to look for a proper place to stay. We might be staying here for a while, so we should scout for a place we could rent or possibly even own while we're here, an apartment or such. We have the funds. We ought to find a cozy home away from home here with them. Can we do that?"

Smiling, IF nods and says, "Good idea. Let's get going then."

***SCENE BREAK***

It actually wasn't that hard to find a good place to stay in Lastation. We decided to use all the credits we gained a for a little luxury, so we spent it on a comfortable connected two-room apartment, complete with the amenities of a wide-screenTV (with a pay-to-play PS3, of course), multiple beds, wireless fidelity connectivity to the internet to gather information and most importantly, a beautiful kitchen that has all the necessary utensils and tools that any chef could ever need. It even has a view not obscured by the factory smoke, and a gray sky is infinitely better than that.

I'm going to love this place. It's almost perfect.

Almost.

First of all, the place where we're staying is called the Recharge Inn, yet another tasteless use of wordplay.

The other problem is, well, there are enough beds but...

"I'm going to sleep with Shi-kun!"

...there are two per room, meaning I'm going to have to sleep with one of the girls.

THIS... will be awkward.

"Nep-Nep, you're too young to sleep with Shirou-san! That's not right!"

Yes, Compa, tell her! Tell her how uncomfortable I am with these arrangements!

"So... I think I should sleep with him!"

Yes, that's right Compa will... Wait, what?

"No, that's not right either Compa-san!" Oh, god, is this how it will be for the rest of the journey?-!

Compa's cheeks redden slightly while IF starts to laugh at my predicament. "Ha! Oh man, this is hilarious!"

Goddammit Rin, must your voice be present to take note of and delight in my sufferings all throughout the omniverse?-!

I suddenly have a bright idea that may be the practical and vindicative solution to all these problems. Triumphantly, I point at my target and declare, "IF... You're sleeping with me!"

The two girls arguing over who gets to be my roomate suddenly freeze and gasp at my decision, while IF gives me yet another familiar Rin expression:

"WHAAAAAAAAT?-!"

... The scream.

So much nostalgia.

"You seem to be having fun in all this, so why not? I have a ton of problems with this too you know, but Neptune really seems to be a bit too young for this, and Compa-san... well..."

I still haven't forgotten that first time I saw her with Neptune awake.

The pervertedness... The depravity...

_The bondage._

"... No offense Compa-san, but that first day with Neptune with all the bandages still gives me a few problems..."

As the other two give a defeated sigh, IF's cheeks become red.

I swear I can see her mouth opening and showing her teeth just like Rin again...

Is the world trying to tell me something here?

"Like hell I'm going to sleep with you! Who knows what kind of crap you're thinking of doing to me?-!"

I shake my head and gently reply, "I'm thinking of staying in my bed, resting my body while you stay in yours. Hell, I can even give up and stay on the roof again if you really feel uncomfortable with all this. Just say the word and I will."

IF becomes silent at those words and closes her mouth. Gritting her teeth, she angrily tells me, "Tch, that's a low blow. I can't let you get sick because of all the filthy air around here..."

My smile gets a little bigger at that. Yup: Voice, guns, tsundere.

Rin. That's all I have to say on the matter.

"Fine. I'll sleep with you. But if you do anything to me..."

I chuckle at that. "I'll let you do anything to me. You have my word."

Compa's eyes become filled with shock. "Shirou-san... letting Ai-chan... have her way-with-him?-!"

At this Neptune angrily screams, "NO WAY! You can't do that, Shi-kun!"

The both of us turn to them simultaneously shout, "IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!"

***SCENE BREAK***

After THAT debacle, we finally got to working on our quest again. Since we didn't have the assistance of the Basilicom, it took about two days before we finally got a request.

Another monster cleanup, requested by yet another company president.

Wow.

"You know, I'm starting to notice that this quest has an awful lot of trends," I tell my friends as we search for our client.

"Really? Like what, Shi-kun?" Neptune tilts her head and asks curiously.

"You know, the same-looking dungeons, the important stuff happening in caves, and now more quests for a company president. Will it start to get predictable soon enough?" I reply rather blankly.

"Hey, if it gets predictable, we know what's coming! Wouldn't that be really nice?" Compa says, a bit delighted.

"Well gee, I wonder if that would really happen," IF responds rather sarcastically.

Eventually, we see a somewhat short woman waving her hand in the distance.

"Is that our client? She's waving her hand at us... Yeah, she must be the one!" Compa alerts us happily. Neptune seems to be a bit disappointed and even confused. "She's kinda small... I was expecting like a big burly man as a president." Giving her a blank look, I deadpan, "Like you have any right to talk..."

As the lady nears us, I can see that she has short hair, with a formal business suit and black heels as her outfit. Examining us, she asks, "You're the ones who'll fight the monsters for me? Are you sure you'll be OK?"

Walking up to her, IF answers, "We all know we shouldn't judge books by their covers. I'm IF." Looking towards each of us, she says, "This is Tsuki, the pink-haired one is Compa, and the only guy here is Shirou."

To my great irritation, the girl gains an amused look on her face and says, "My, you certainly know how to get around."

I feel my back bending over as I lose hope in ever hearing the end of that. "Yeah, yeah... I'm starting to hear that a lot, and I swear I'll be hearing it a lot more..."

Chuckling, the woman introduces herself. "I'm Chian. I run a small company called Passe in the Central City. Pleasure to meet you."

I would make some choice comments on why anyone who would want their to be a well-known and powerful presence within their country and the world would ever name their company Passe, but I refrain from doing so because I know better than to criticize our customer, a company president and most significantly _a woman._

"We need someone to exterminate the monsters attacking our supply vehicles. Are you sure you're up for it?"

Recomposing myself, I smirk and playfully shoot back, "Well, you're certainly up for trying to lead a small company to become the biggest corporation in the business at such a young age, so I don't see why you have any right to judge."

The lady starts to laugh and replies, "Well, aren't you witty? I suppose you're right." Pausing for a moment and smiling at all of us, she continues, "Your confidence is definitely reassuring. I really think I can trust you with this job." Addressing me she asks, "Your name was... Shirou, right?" I nod my head and answer, "Yes. It's Shirou Emiya, but just call me Shirou if you wish." Grinning at me, she says, "Well, I like you, you know that?"

For some reason, all of my companions tighten up at those words.

What's going on here?

"Certainly a pleasure to know that I seem to pique your interest, Chian-sama." At my use of superior honorifics, she chuckles, "No need to be too formal here. Just Chian would be fine." Nodding my head, I respond, "Well, OK then, Chian."

With that, Chian smiles and says, "Well, I should get going now. Good luck on the job, you four. I can actually rest easy knowing that you're on the job."

She walks away while waving her hand one last time, until she's out of sight.

Turning to my friends, I notice that they all seem to be glaring at me for some reason.

"What? Did I do anything wrong?"

IF just sighs and says, "For some reason, the way you were so friendly with her just pisses me off..."

Huh? What did I do wrong?

"Shirou-san... Why are you so... like that with women..."

What's going on... Wait, why does this feel so familiar?

"Shi-kun... You like hitting on girls, don't you?"

I can feel their trust in me deteriorating... Where have I felt this before...

Oh.

That time with Bazzett.

_"E-MI-YA-KUN... You're so friendly with each other despite having met for the first time... Are you really sure that's the case?"_

_"Too close indeed, Senpai... Much too close with each other..."_

Which means that all of them think that...

"No, no, it's not like that! Really, it's not!"

The situation has rapidly deteriorated.

Older sister... I mean, Other Rin's opinions of me: -100

Deadly nurse-in-training's trust: -100

Little goddess' rage:+100

Trying my best to prevent a Dead End from happening to me (as is the case with a hell of a lot of my other selves...), I try to placate the three girls from unleashing their fury on me, and if not change the topic and divert that to something more productive and less deadly to me.

Like monsters! Anything but me!

"Really, it's not like that, girls!" Not feeling very safe with the way their hands are moving towards their weapons and especially how I can see a faint image of Purple Heart rising up from behind Neptune (or probably that's just paranoia, I sincerely hope it is.), I nervously turn away stiffly and say, "A-anyway, let's do the job quickly! Best to do it right so we can get a good reputation around here!"

And thus, I have three girls who are frightening me greatly, following me to our destination.

***SCENE BREAK***

Our quest takes place in the Windy Wasteland, so I was looking forward to a little change in scenery, to be honest.

Thus, when we get there, I obviously have the need to bang my head on the wall when:

"Goddammit, another crystal cave."

Were the creators of this world just so lazy that they couldn't even think up something more original? It doesn't even have the originality of having 'different' crystals!

"I know. Some creativity would be nice. This is getting repetitive," the now calm IF agrees with me.

"Screw it, let's find something else to concentrate on... Neptune, did you bring the other blade?"

The also back to normal purple-haired loli gleefully replies, "Yup! Sure did!"

Neptune brings out a jagged edged sword used for hunting. This is more of a test than anything, but I wanted to see how well she would do with heavy weapons.

"Try it out."

Complying with my request, she begins a small demonstration of her normal combat repertoire. Though undoubtedly slower overall, she can still perform all of her more acrobatic moves despite the added weight. Very interesting...

"Whoa, nice moves there, Nep," IF praises her while slowly nodding her head. "Nep-Nep, you're so amazing!" Compa proclaims cheerfully.  
"Heh, heh, of course I am!" Our ditzy CPU gloats proudly.

Of course...

"Well, what do you think, Neptune?"

The goddess tilts her head and says, "I think katanas are just better, Shi-kun. I mean, I'm super fast and can use my gun better that way!"

"Well, if you say so..." I reply. I already predicted that. This could be a waste of potential though. More combat options are always better. If only I could convince her to use it every now and then...

A stroke of brilliance suddenly infects my head. Yes, this could work...

"You don't always have to use it. Just equip it against stronger, slower enemies. In fact, let me teach you a nice technique you can use. May I borrow it?"

"Sure!" Neptune enthusiastically replies, handing me the sword while our companions wonder what I'm about to do.

"This attack is very impractical under normal circumstances, especially since you have a gun, but I think your speed and the power of this technique can compensate for that. First we have to find something to hit... Is that a giant chicken?"

In the distance, very stupid looking bird waddles around, pecking at the ground.

Eyebrows raising, IF explains, "Oh, what do you know. One of our targets, a Cockatrice."

I stare at her incredelously. "Are you telling me that oversized poultry is responsible for Passe's problems?-!" IF shrugs and responds, "Yeah, it's rather pathetic in retrospect."

That is so sad.

"Well, a-anyway... The technique." I pause and close my eyes, beginning the demonstration.

"First, you raise your sword like this." I lift the sword and carry it so it is over my head and the blade is facing downward on my back, as though performing an overhead strike.

"Then, you concentrate on your target." I take a deep breath as I move on to the last step. "Then afterwards... THIS!"

In a move that many people would probably consider 'really stupid', I release the blade from my hands and throw it at the bird with all my might.

The makeshift projectile flies at the monster. Distracted by the shout and probably feeling that it's in danger, it stops its pecking and turns its head towards...

"Bo-KAUGH!"

... being impaled by a gigantic blade. It is knocked down by the incredible force and dies right then and there.

"And... That's that."

All my comrades have become speechless. It's actually hilarious to look at IF, even funnier when I consider that she has Rin's voice. Compa also has a similar expression.

And so does Neptune. Fortunately, I already know what's coming. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

"THAT WAS AWWWWWWWWWSOOOOOME!"

An explosion of energy. Would anyone really expect her to stay quiet for so long?

"That move was epic, Shi-kun! It was incredible, amazing, fantastic..." Smiling to myself, I hold up my hand to interrupt her. "Yes, yes, thank you Neptune."

"What kind of technique was that?-!" Our experienced guide asks after finally regaining her senses.

"Well, it's a way to apply the biggest disadvantage of the heavy weapon, namely, their increased weight, and turn it into tactical advantage," I explain to my companions. "Added weight equals more stability and control when thrown, and obviously more power upon impact. Though you have to retrieve your weapon when it hits and especially if it misses, I believe Neptune's speed, unarmed combat prowess as well as her fallback ranged weapon of a gun can make up for that single drawback long enough for her to get it back or even use the distraction in other creative ways."

IF nods in understanding. "Wow... The guy who came up with this attack must have been really good at running around..."

I laugh at her reply, an understatement if there ever was one. "Well, he really is. That, and he carried around a lot more weapons than that. In fact, the pistol around my arms was often used by him."

Yeah. He used the pistol, as well as hidden blades that come with the pistol, a dagger, clubs and swords, a crossbow, bombs and basically so many armaments it's a wonder that he could still run so fast.

"Oh wow... It must have been really fun to learn from him," Compa adds in awe.

If only that was true.

"Actually, I never met him personally. I learned it from an accomplice of his."

Shame I never got to meet him personally. Instead, I had to settle for the snarky jerk that accompanied him. True, Yuri isn't really that bad a guy but...

_"Ooh, hey Shirou, nice harem you got waiting for you back home!"_

... Damn him to hell.

"Well anyway... That's the technique. You're sure you can use it, Neptune?" The CPU cheerfully replies, "Definitely! It's gonna be soooo cool to use!" raising her thumb to emphasize her understanding.

"Very well then." I hand the hunting sword back to her and declare, "It's cleanup time!"

***SCENE BREAK***

"OK, we're almost at the end!"

Though the cave had plenty of monsters that needed exterminating, they were actually pretty easy. Aside from our main targets, hornets also buzzed around the caves. They too weren't much of a problem, and as such Neptune still hasn't used the technique I taught her yet.

But now, at the end of the cave is a huge gathering of Cockatrices, numbering about ten in all. Very likely, this could be something of a breeding ground for them.

"Well guys... How would you suggest we go about this?" IF asks the whole party, but me in particular for obvious reasons.

I take note of their positions. To my pleasure, they are in the perfect placement for a surprise attack as they have divided into two groups of five each. If we can divide their attention, we can defeat them without much trouble.

And I know how to do it.

"OK, we'll go with the usual plan. Neptune will go with Compa, I'll go with IF. Neptune and I will begin the ambush, aiming for the right and left flanks respectively, while the two of you will follow up. Are we clear?"

The girls nod at my orders and ready their weapons, when Neptune's eyes light up and she turns to me.

"Shi-kun... Can I go first?"

The way she's suggestively holding the sword makes me smirk. "OK then. We'll begin on your signal."

Smiling at me, she returns to focusing on the enemy. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, her expression then becomes excited, showing her love for battle.

She raises the sword.

"Take this! Neptune's Flying Sword of Fury!"

... I so should have seen that coming.

And thus, we begin the assault.

Neptune and I dash up to our respective groups of enemies, successfully dividing their attention.

In an amazing display, right as the sword hits one of the Cockatrices, she activates Hard Drive Divinity and the blade miraculously transforms alongside her, turning into her signature purple katana. Right before the monster falls down, she grabs the blade and twists it. Removing it from the bird's standing corpse, she flies into the air and performs another overhead slash on another Cockatrice.

Amazing... Since her katana is innately connected to her HDD form, similar to a Noble Phantasm, she used the one advantage the heavy broad sword gave her, a powerful ranged attack, then changed form to use her weapon of choice and all of its own advantages...

She's learning so fast. I didn't even know it would change out of her grip.

I better not disappoint as her mentor.

Dashing up to one of the birds, I slice its neck then strike it with my knee and finish it off with a reinforced overhead slash. Another one comes up from behind. I rotate my body clockwise to give it a backhand strike with my blade, then plant my left fist into its face and blast it with the hidden gun. I smash another bird attempting to lunge at me from behind and slam my foot on its head.

Meanwhile, IF takes on two more opponents. She stabs one of them with her gunclaws and unleashes a powered up point-blank shot. Taking advantage of the recoil, she spins around and knocks down her other opponent with a kick, then finishes it off with another shot.

Compa, the last to arrive, charges up to one and stabs it, then with all her strength swings her giant syringe in a full circle. Unfortunately, the momentum makes her land on her butt.

Of course. That _dojikko._

Now, there are only two birds left, cornered between our two groups. Neptune and I sprint towards them and just like our battle with the Guard Vermin we slash through both of them.

In the exact moment when we slice the air with our blades, both birds fall forward and collapse on the ground with a soft thud.

"Well, good job Neptune. Your performance was quite impressive." Supporting my very reliable and battle-hardened bokutou, I walk up to the still transformed goddess and praise her.

"It was all thanks to your tutelage, Shirou. I still prefer using my katanas, but that technique is just too useful to neglect," Neptune thanks me with a smile.

"Don't give me all of the credit. The way you used you used your special ability of transforming any weapon you have into your purple katana was your own tactic, and an incredibly creative one at that. I may have started you out, but you applied it and made it your own," I explain to her.

"As usual, you two stole the show yet again," IF, now running up to us with Compa, tells us with a sigh, but still smiling. Smirking at the brunette, I remind her of her complaints about my 'stubbornness'. "Hey, didn't I tell you that this old thing would still be useful?" IF groans at me and says, "Yeah, yeah, fine, I see the light now..."

"That was great, you two... Although, there are so many monsters here..." Compa tells us, a little disturbed.

"But that makes it so much more entertaining!"

All of us glance at Neptune, whose eyes seem to be sparkling.

It seems that her thirst for battle is even greater in this form.

That makes IF and Compa _slowly_ back away. I don't because I can understand where she's coming from.

But still.

"Now, now, Neptune... I love a good battle as much as any warrior does, but that's still bad for the people. Besides..."

I give a disappointed sigh. "I prefer confrontations that will push me to the limit instead of being forced to fight numerous weak enemies..."

"You're both battle maniacs, aren't you?" IF tells us with a suffering expression.

"You're right though, Shirou... Could this be due to the diminishing power of the CPUs? Do their powers even weaken?"

I become curious at her question. "How does a CPU's power affect a landmass?" Neptune turns to me and replies, "The protection granted by the CPUs that people talk about is a blessing upon the landmass that protects the people from monster attacks."

"Ah... I see." I nod at Neptune's explanation, feeling a little embarrassed.

I can't believe she's the one giving me a lecture, of all people...

IF crosses her arms at this, becoming serious. "Well, their power comes from humanity's faith in them. Monster attacks will shake that faith, which leads to less protection, more monster attacks, less people, less faith... It's a downward spiral."

My eyes become a little wide at the revelation. CPUs take their power from the people's belief in them, similar to how Servants become stronger if they are summoned into an era in which people revere and treasure their life and legends.

Suddenly, many things start to make a disturbing amount of sense. That evil deity's justification for her bitter defeat may have weight behind them now, as Planeptune really is Neptune's home, where many would worship her, let alone the fact that the people have had every reason to renew their faith in their goddess over the past few days. Perhaps she really will be more powerful next we meet.

Lastation's dire situation is also quite explainable as well. We've seen firsthand how the people in this land are slowly losing their faith in Black Heart. It's no wonder the military can't even hold the monsters back.

"That's succinct," Neptune replies, aware of all the implications of IF's explanation. "So as more time passes, more monsters will appear."

"Everything makes sense now... That witch's words, Lastation's current state... This is going to be harder than I thought," I declare to everyone.

"Don't worry Shirou... Remember, Histoire told the two of us that can save the world..." She closes her eyes and gives an encouraging smile to all of us.

"And if all of us work together with our allies, we really can."

I nod at her and give her an approving smile. "Well, I can't argue with that at all."

Compa nods and cheerfully proclaims, "Wow, this Nep-Nep still has the same strong sense of justice, but she's so much more dependable! I feel comfortable trusting her!"

IF closes her eyes and becomes a little irritated for some reason. "I agree, but am I the only one who can't stand her either way?"

Why is she annoyed? Maybe it's because she's like Rin again. Maybe she's hiding the fact that she really is more altruistic then she likes to make others and even herself think...

Hell, why is she making occassional glances at Neptune's breasts anyway...

"Well guys, I guess we know what to do then. We keep taking on quests, beating monsters and helping the people, and make them believe in the CPUs again, just like back on Planeptune, finding the Key Fragments along the way. Anyone have any objections?"

All of them begin smiling at me and nodding their heads. "I can make no objections to that, Shirou."

Thus, we head back to the Central City, now more confident and filled with a new sense of purpose in our mission.

_**More Notes:**_

_Whew, that was long! Updates will take more time now for better research and because school's coming back in the Philippines now. I'm just in high school, you know?  
_

_Anyway, reviews are always appreciated. I have a few fun plans for the rest of this novelization, especially considering Shirou's first real tracing and the weapons he'll use, and even how he'll change Neptunia's moe icons of gaming. He might even give them a few more permanent weapons of their own..._

_Well, goodbye guys! Hope you like the update!  
_


	6. Black Days

_Well, I did say it would take longer..._

_Anyway, this time, I put in a few more references to F/SN, mostly Hollow Ataraxia (Because yes, there really are scenes like the ones I mentioned below there.)  
_

_And yes, Neozangetsu, I am setting up a harem for Shirou. Because Shirou Emiya without a harem in a world where every character with an actual face and role is a girl is blasphemy._

_Anyhow, today we meet Black Heart! Thus setting up the catalyst for the fourth member of Shirou's harem and the cause of more horror as yet another Rin! It's just too bad Noire wasn't voice by Kana Ueda... Yup, as Taromaru said, that would've made him go insane.__  
_

_But enough of that. As I've said before, I own no series I reference. And Neozangetsu, I can't take your money, because that would make this illegal.  
_

_Let's begin!  
_

***CHAPTER STA****RT***_  
_

Days have passed since that mission in the Windy Wasteland. We've continued doing quests for people and have had the time and money to update Neptune, Compa and even IF's weapons.

Leaving me as the only one who almost hasn't changed his armament at all since the beginning of our journey.

"Yeesh Shirou, when the hell are you going to change that old thing? You're gonna get in trouble if you rely on it too much! We even have extra swords now!"

I chuckle at IF's concern, though it really is nice to know that she cares. "I'll be fine. I've sort of gotten used to 'this old thing'. Besides, didn't I just help destroy some rogue robots last time?" She shakes her head at that. "I still don't get how the hell a bokutou managed to dent those things, let alone destroy them!" I smirk at her and reply, "You just have to hit the right spot with enough force, that's all."

I've had to fight machines and the like over my previous adventures, and I was hard-pressed to find a way to combat them effectively at first. However, I took a bit of inspiration from the concept of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, courtesy of my friends showing me around the other strange corners of my own universe and meeting up with certain special people. All I did was apply the same concept and use structural analysis on my mechanical foes, because what are robots but objects that have their own intelligence? This allows me to see any weakpoints or defects they might have as at that point they basically become mobile blueprints, ready for me to scan and use. With this newfound discovery, I can conserve my prana reserves by using the fewest and most energy-efficient weapons possible on the most vulnerable areas. Combined with my current state of hiding my projection magic and relying only on reinforcement on a mundane bokutou, this is the lowest amount of od I've ever used for a considerable amount of time. My magic circuits will be primed and ready for a good show when I do have to go back to my old combat style again.

At my words Neptune proudly declares, "Of course! Shi-kun is the strongest guy I know!"

IF deadpans, "Nep-ko, he's also pretty much the _only _guy you know."

Sadly, that's actually very true.

Also sadly, I think I'll be the only guy here for the rest of this journey, period.

I've also learned a bit more about Lastation from IF. She's been checking out blogs on the internet.

Seeing someone with Rin's voice doing that is so surreal…

But back to the topic. Apparently, Black Heart has been running one of the blogs. Her first public relations announcement was something of an advertisement to get people to move to Lastation, which bears the titles of 'The Land of Black Regality' or the 'Dignified Black Land'. She's also noticed the pollution in her landmass, so she's made it a point to help clean it up.

It sounded very interesting, but the brunette informed me that it's apparently devolved into a regular girl's 'status updates on her life' kind of project.

A shame. Wasted source of information number 3.

We've recently finished another job. Unlike all the others, the requester gives the reward with bitter regret and sorrow, evident despite all the gratitude he had for us.

We wonder why, when Neptune takes a look at the reward.

"Um… Why is it so dinky? I mean, it's even less than usual…"

It's true. Even some of the townspeople back in Planeptune have been able to provide more than this…

"I heard a major business company called Avenir has been monopolizing the industry, so most companies haven't been doing well!"

The rumors that Compa somehow heard of pique my interest a bit, but IF's explanation really makes me suspicious. "I heard smaller factories are closing down due to Avenir, but I don't think that's the only reason."

Hmm… Very interesting… It certainly merits investigation…

I feel a shaking beside me. I try to think of what it could be.

Oh wait, what else?

"Monopolizing is bad, right? Then, like, that company must be an evil conglomerate!"

Neptune is set off by the possibility of another RPG cliché and yet another trend in my adventures as a traveler.

In retrospect, it's rather sad that knowing all these overused plot devices in entertainment actually has some sort of practical application in our lives…

But they don't need to know that. "Now, Neptune, though that is certainly very suspicious, it could also be that maybe they have other advantages within the industry. Whether those advantages are fair play is worth investigating, though."

But Neptune isn't giving up. "But I can't ignore the fact that a lotta people are suffering because of them! If I take that company down, I can make a lotta people happy!"

A sound argument, one I would definitely agree with.

Or perhaps would definitely have agreed with before.

"How do you know that, Neptune?" I ask, trying to make her think this through. "Think about it. If it isn't evil, then any effort to take it down is meaningless. And suppose it was. What would happen to all the legitimately decent people working there? They'd all be left without a job too. Would that make them happy at all?"

All of the girls quietly ponder my words. I feel a bit regretful at doing this, especially looking at Neptune's dejected expression.

"… I guess we should focus on the Key Fragments then," IF speaks up, composing herself. "It would be bad if we lost all our travelling budget on this horrible economy, so maybe we should keep moving to other landmasses and see what we can do there…"

"Or perhaps we can try to unravel the web of intrigue surrounding Avenir and the Land of Black Regality," I suggest despite myself. "If you think about it, if we can find out the cause of all these problems, it would definitely boost Black Heart's ability to protect the landmass and its people. That would definitely be an acceptable detour for our mission, right?"

That thankfully had the intended effect of brightening up the little girl standing next to me. "Hey, you're right, Shi-kun! That would definitely help out!"

Giving us a resigned smile, IF answers, "I guess it's decided then." She suddenly notices something important and nervously asks, "So um… what's the plan?"

…

Oh. Didn't think of that.

A beep from our phones (my watch included) alerts all of us. We all check the message, and to our great luck it's a text from Chian asking us to come to her factory, with directions included in the message.

"Fine timing." I turn to the girls and say, "So, shall we go?"

A bit of hesitation for whatever reason.

Are they still hung over from last time…

"… OK then."

They follow me silently, and I get the feeling that this meeting will hurt me.

As is usually the case with women and me.

***SCENE BREAK***

"Wow… This is Chian's company?"

Neptune is certainly justified in marveling at the sights. Despite her disclaimers of it being small, Chian's factory most definitely isn't. Although, to be fair, I've seen bigger, and factories these size usually probably only constitute as 'very large' back home and not here.

"Ah, you four."

The president herself steps in to greet us. "Nothing lavish, I know. It's just a small factory, everything from kitchenware to missiles here."

That's a very wide and _very _dissonant range of products…

"Well, hello there Chian," I reply politely. "So, what did you call us here for?"

"Later, Shirou. Let's all get cozy first before we discuss important stuff."

I feel a bit of tension rising in the air again, but it dissipates quickly enough.

Not fast enough for me though. I seriously wonder what the hell will happen to me here.

We follow Chian to another area of the company, and it turns out to be a homey little restaurant complete with a bar. Cozy indeed.

It fortunately distracts Neptune from disturbing me for a while at least. "Cool, a restaurant right next to your office! It must be neat 'coz you get to drink whatever and whenever you want! Hey, I'm callin' dibs on the barstool!"

As Neptune gleefully spins around on the rotating chairs in front of the bar counter, Chian says with a bitter smile, "Yeah… well, it is my house. Having one business isn't enough for living expenses, so my mother helps me around here. I really did have to get two jobs since Avenir was established."

I feel a bit of sympathy at that. The place reminds me of the Copenhagen bar I worked part-time in back in Fuyuki. Instead of doing it because I needed to though, I did it to repay Raiga Fujimura and by extension his daughter Taiga for taking care of me, though Fuji-nee's tendency to freeload offset my karma by a big margin. I still felt obliged to help them out, no matter how much they said it was unnecessary.

"I'm sorry for all you've been through," I say apologetically.

"So Avenir really is bad!" Neptune declares after hearing Chian's state of affairs. "Everyone in town, including you, is suffering because of them, right?-!"

Resentment building up in her voice, for the first time since we've met Chian angrily answers, "They're not just 'bad'! They took all of our clients… No, they're monsters!"

Chian's lost control of her emotions. The grudge she bears against them must be heavy.

"Calm down, Chian. Why are you acting this way? Do you have any proof that that unruly action was involved in any of this?"

But she isn't listening. "Even the goddess and the Basilicom turn a blind eye and let them do what they want… At this rate, they'll take over the entire landmass and its industry if we don't do anything!"

Those first few words make this very questionable. Let them do what they want… What has she seen, what has she been through, I wonder…

But I can't fight the passion behind those words.

"Very well then, Chian. I'll believe you for now." IF regards me curiously while the other girls smile at my final acceptance of our involvement in the fight against Avenir. "So what do you suggest we do? Taking down a company through aggressive methods won't do very much for us at all. What's your plan?"

Determined, Chian replies, "Every four years, the Lastation Technology Exposition is held. Here, engineers, inventors and other technology workers network, or exchange information and skills, as well as showcase all of their creations. The best one receives a trophy from Lastation's CPU!"

Hearing these words, Compa shouts in wonder, "Wow, a trophy! What an achievement!"

…Ugh. That was freaking HORRIBLE!

"I-I see… so you're saying we can try to negotiate and win over the goddess to our side if Passe is victorious, right?" I confirm as I try to remove another instance of horrible wordplay from my memory.

"Correct. That's why I called all of you here today. We need to begin making arrangements."

At this, Neptune ponders this and suddenly shouts with much alarm, "No! We will not cosign any of your loans!"

…Ouch. Such a cruel assumption.

Actually managing to snort at that, Chian corrects her, saying, "Hah! No, no, I wouldn't be asking you to do that. It's not about money anyway. It's about supplies and materials. The monsters are so fierce we'd be risking our lives for a single screw!"

So the situation has escalated to this point already… Unsettling…

"Ah, I getcha! So you want us to make sure that you don't get distracted by monsters while you're prepping for the Expo, right?"

As Neptune (surprisingly) confirms Chian's request, the president replies, "You're right! I'm glad to know that you're all quick thinkers here."

Ironic words, but I suppose we can excuse her because she hasn't seen Neptune's usual state of mind.

Cautiously and hopefully, she asks, "So… You'll help me?"

Of course, Neptune shouts with a raised thumb, "Sure will, Chian! We'll make sure your invention will steal the show!"

Smiling, I concur, "We'll help. I'd like to better Lastation. Besides, you helped us gain some footing here. It's the least we can do to repay you."

Compa joins in and resolves, "We'll help you out Chian! We'll try our best!"

With a sigh, IF says, "Ah well… I suppose this wouldn't be bad at all."

"Thank you… All of you," Chian, filled with gratitude, tells us. "I'll be counting on all of you for a little while. And I know you won't disappoint."

Smirking, I add, "We never did, Chian. And we never will."

***SCENE BREAK***

So we got to work like that. We spent a few more days keeping up with all of Chian's and other people's requests. Today was a little different, due to our very peculiar client.

"Why are we working for Avenir when we know they're totally evil?-!"

It's just as Neptune complained. In an odd bit of irony, we find ourselves working for the very corporation we wish to overthrow.

"Idealism won't feed us. You'll never be an adult if you're picky about choosing food or work, you know," IF tells off Neptune to try and motivate her. Hearing the sound of footsteps in the area, all of us turn our heads and our guide says, "Oh, our client's arrived."

The mission requester, Avenir's representative Singe, walks up to us. His hair is pulled back in a slight wave, and his dignified face matches his business suit.

"Hello there, Singe-san of Avenir! We're Compa, Tsu-chan, Ai-chan and Shirou-san, and we're the ones who'll help you fight off monsters!" Compa introduces each one of us to the inspector.

Just as I examined him, Singe examines us. He appears to be trying to assess whether we're right for the job. The silence unnerves Compa very much, making her frown.

His scowl pretty much means he thinks we _aren't_ right for the job.

"… I don't have much of a choice. I want you to eliminate all the monsters surrounding this area while I conduct an inspection of one of our plants by the city outskirts. Don't let any run loose and cause damage to the facility. Get moving."

His very 'motivational' briefing done, Singe leaves us to perform the task assigned to us while he does his, leaving without another word.

"What's his problem? He must be underestimating us because of our looks! How rude!" Compa rants once he's out of hearing range. IF sighs and deadpans, "It's inevitiable when you or Nep-ko are around…" Puffing up her cheeks, Compa pouts, "Ai-chan, you're not one to talk when you're that short… and without boobies."

Compa's argument makes my eyes twitch, and I especially don't like how IF joins me and glares at the nurse-in-training. Fearing a confrontation, I interrupt and try to rationalize Singe's behavior before a battle between women, one of the most horrifying battles anyone, especially a man, could ever witness, ensues. "Now, now Compa, he's probably just a very analytical and logical worker. To be fair, when asking for people to protect your facilities, we actually don't look like anything suited for the job. And also," I sheepishly point out, "The fact that you used those very unintimidating nicknames probably insulted him and made him think you weren't taking this seriously." As Compa takes this in she replies, "Oh… I'm sorry…"

"Don't be," I console her.

Because in all honesty, and I hope I'm wrong, I really think that he's a pompous fool just like the old moderator.

"But he was so mean to Compa… Is that how it really is? Will we really have to work with them?"

Despite all her innocence, Neptune sees through my deceptions. She really is more intuitive than she makes you think.

I become silent and emotionless, but give her a fake smile and simply say, "I hope so. Besides Neptune," I continue, "We're here already. And think of it this way: We have to do this in order to fix them up. We'll be using their own resources against them if we do this right. Can you handle that?" Neptune's eyes slowly widen in realization and she nods, "Sure! No prob!"

"Glad to hear it," I tell her while I gain back a bit of honesty in my smile. "Well… What's the plan? Should we split up? Or should we take them down together?" The party considers this for a moment when Neptune gleefully proclaims, "Let's split up and make this faster! Shi-kun'll be with me!"

I'm about to accept, when Compa unexpectedly barges in and declares, "No! I think I ought to be with him!"

Hmm… Well, that would be fine too, I guess, but…

"No, I think we ought to go with the usual plan and have me accompany him," IF adds her own two cents with a bit more steel in her voice than I can be comfortable with.

All the girls are smiling at each other beatifically at this point, and I become frightened when they turn to me and expectantly ask, "So? Who'll be with you, Shirou/Shirou-san/Shi-kun?"

As I slowly back away from them, knowing escape is impossible because we have to complete the mission and well, it honestly wouldn't have made a difference either way, I am reminded of yet another situation from the Grail War, one of the Heaven's Feel Route when that version of me was confronted by both Sakura and Rider over the issue of asking which one he preferred.

My growing assumptions of the Root teaming up with a being in this world to increase my suffering become even more plausible to me at this point. Perhaps Histoire is a sadist secretly delighting in my tribulations. Or perhaps it's that evil bitch from Planeptune.

I will consult the sentient tome at length about this curse immediately upon our next 'meeting'. I will see if I have to ask for… 'reimbursement' from her or any other entities she may know of. And she will answer immediately, without delay.

I am very sure she will. There will be no problems with that at all. I'm positive.

However, I have a bit of an advantage over one of my alternate selves that isn't Archer or another one of _his_ parallel versions of himself… ourselves… whatever… in that I might actually have a ray of hope. "Um… Perhaps we should all just go together, OK? Just in case there will be, uh, boss type monsters around here, yeah, that's right!" I try to defend myself, not even having the composure or the time to think about the fact I'm using stupid gaming language.

"OK Shi-kun… But there's no getting out of this next time~"

"OK, Shirou-san… But you will choose next time, right?"

"Fine, then… But we'll all be looking forward to your choice when this comes up again, got it?"

I wonder if the next time that happens I would consider fleeing towards the nearest monsters before they can get an answer out of me.

Sure as hell preferable to suffering unimaginable pain at the hands of two very angry and very scary girls. And maybe even three.

What a horrifying thought.

***SCENE BREAK***

"And with that, we're done."

The mission wasn't too hard, even considering the fact that something that could be construed as a 'boss monster' actually did show up.

One of the few times that my panicked escape blubberings actually came to be. A bit of trouble, perhaps, but compared to the potential horrors of facing three infuriated women, one of whom can literally unleash divine wrath on me, it seems like a tap on the shoulder in comparison.

"No more monsters over here, Shi-kun! Ai-chan, Compa, how 'bout you guys?"

"None over here, Nep-ko!"

"And not here either, everyone!"

"Good job, then. Back to the entrance!"

We return to where we met Singe and wait for him. The inspector arrives after a few minutes, appearing to have been satisfied by the state of the factory, but quickly changing to a look of distaste upon seeing us.

"The inspection is complete. Are you kids done too? Are you sure you didn't miss any?"

Neptune puts her hands on her waist and proudly declares, "It's all good when I'm on the prowl! We even took out the boss-like one, so I betcha they'll stay away for a while!"

Nodding, the man coldly replies, "Good. However, if even one remains and damages the facility, we will never conduct business with you again."

My eyes narrow at the man's words. I can't attribute this to professionalism anymore. We've done our job, checked and double-checked to make sure we have done so without the slightest doubts, and yet this is his reply.

A bit hurt, Compa says, "T-that's a bit harsh…. Why can't you just repair the damage if that happens?"

An even harsher tone enters the man's voice, as though offended immensely. "You have no idea do you? Mere humans should never degrade machinery! Have you ever seen a human as precise or as detail-oriented as a machine?-!"

And that destroys any respect I might have for this man. Without any precedent, without any reason , the man has mocked our efforts, comparing them unfavorably to machines.

A little bit of my soul dies knowing that these are the people who have positions of power in Lastation. No wonder, no wonder at all that its state of affairs is so dire.

Compa, holding her hands up to her eyes, asks with a slight crying voice, "I-I don't know… I'm not a machine…"

And just like before, his stupid rantings make my blood boil as one of my comrades sheds tears at the uncalled for scolding.

"Right. You're just an incompetent human. Who knows when you'll make a mistake? Being human is no excuse for errors!"

Again, my fists clench without any change in my expression. I try to hold back my anger, knowing it will not have any benefit on our part in the end.

"If humans are expected to make mistakes… I'd rather have machines do the job from the very start. Keep that in mind the next time you take a job from this company…"

"No need for that, I think we probably _won't _be taking another job from this company."

The party looks at me in shock while the man gains a look of significant displeasure on his face.

"Oh… and why is that, young man?"

"Because of how you treated those who took on your requests," I tell him straight to his face. "We just gave all of our effort to help your company, and you go on to berate us for a mistake which we never made, for a reason which is illogical and quite honestly, moronic. And as a result, you made the young lady right over here, who has been nothing but polite and deferent to you as a customer and client, shed tears. "

Singe's frown becomes bigger and his scowl becomes more malicious. My glare becomes even fiercer. "You say that us incompetent humans will never have the perfectionism of a machine, that they are destined to make mistakes, that machines would do better in everything. So why didn't you have your perfect little machines clear the monsters out in this area for you? It's not like we spent some of the last few days fighting off rogue robots and mechanoids."

The party continues to watch in awe of yet another of my hard hitting speeches while the inspector fumes with rage at every single deconstruction of his pathetic world views.

"And you say that machines are perfect? Such naivete. Nothing can be perfect, everything is flawed in one way or another. Perfection is nothing but a fantasy, and yet the truly admirable are those who accept the shortcomings and difficulties in their lives and are content with calling it their own fantasy, their own 'perfect'."

I say this as more than just an imperfect human. I say this as a creator of imperfect, flawed imitations of imperfect, flawed weapons, weapons that are legendary, considered to be ultimate, undefeatable, the invincible, and yet have their own weaknesses, their own tragedies, their own sorrowful histories. I have gone this far with my own distorted ideals using those very imitations, farther than any one person, human or not, would have ever imagined.

"But your biggest hypocrisy, the most maddening thing about your nonsensical barkings is that you look down on humans. Human hands created those 'perfect' machines. Human hands provide you with the capabilities to survive in this world. Human hands _brought _you into this world. And yet you, a human himself, one who has no right to frown upon others for his only duty is merely to look at the work of others and give his own foolish opinion, which for whatever contrived reason is perceived as important by others, and not do a damn thing at all. You have that power. You are not using that power correctly."

Singe is still silent, but it's not because he wants to be. His face is contorted into an expression of pure, unadulterated anger, and yet he cannot say a single word in response to my exposure of his fallacies. IF's mouth is wide open, Neptune has a small smirk on her face, while Compa's tears have finally stopped falling.

I take the reward from his trembling hands, offering no resistance.

"And with that… our business with you is concluded. Good day to you, sir. I suppose we may never see each other in a decent light ever again, or ever at all for that matter, but let's hope that changes quickly." Turning to my friends, I say, "Let's go, girls. We have nothing else to do with this man."

"You don't understand a damn thing, boy…" Singe tries to save face with a menacing parting shot, leaving cryptic words.

I merely stop and, without facing him, retort, "Perhaps I don't. But you don't seem to want to enlighten us of anything. Goodbye, Singe-sama. A nice day to you and Avenir."

After Neptune sticks her tongue out at the man one last time, we leave for real this time, Singe quietly watching us for a few brief moments before storming off in the opposite direction.

***SCENE BREAK***

"Hey Chian! Oh man, I feel so at home here… The dirty counter, the small, confined rooms and even the smell of food baked into the walls!"

"Shut up!" Chian shouts back at Neptune's very blunt description of the restaurant home. Composing herself, she asks, "So, did you meet Singe? What did you think? Wasn't he horrible?"

Full of regret, I shake my head and reply, "He was worse than I could've ever imagined… I'm sorry for doubting you Chian, I really wanted to believe them to be better, but I suppose that was just a futile belief…"

"It's OK Shirou. It'd be fine to expect better from them as a newcomer…" Scowling, she continues, "But now you know the truth."

"He made Compa cry with his machinery lecture! He's a total creepazoid!" Neptune vents with her fists raised in outrage.

In a bitter voice, Chian knowingly replies, "Oh yeah, I expected as much. He's entirely against manual labor."

At this, Neptune curiously asks, "Wait, you met him before?"

"Naturally," Chian replies as though the answer were obvious. "He represents the entire company. He's also one of my old school's alumnus. I saw him when he came to lecture a class. I bet he prattled on about how precise machines are whatnot… He doesn't believe in the skills of us technicians."

So, Singe was even more powerful than I thought… This is what I can expect from the biggest player in Lastation's industry? How sad. Though I can understand why Chian would resent such a man, why did Singe end up becoming that kind of man, even with the same education?

"Oh, Chian, you should have been there!" Neptune says excitedly. "Shi-kun here just owned this guy with all these big words and epic comebacks! He got soooo burned!"

I appreciate her words, but that unintentional pun still makes my eyes twitch ever so slightly.

Chian looks at me and smirks at me. "Really now? Shame I wasn't there to see it. I would've loved to see the look on that worm's face."

"And that wasn't the first time!" Compa happily declares. "Last time, he defended Tsu-chan from the nasty old moderator at the Basilicom, and this time he… defended… me…" Compa blushes at her words, making Neptune and IF's smiles shrink just a tiny bit.

"I have to say though Shirou… When did you get so good at giving epic speeches like that anyway? It just seems so… unnatural."

"I've had to defend myself a lot over the past few years," I explain to the girls. "And more than just physically. People have insulted and questioned my ideals. I had to find my answers, my own way justifying why I continue to uphold them, in order to keep them deep within my heart."

Bu that's not the only reason.

With a nostalgic smile, I continue, "I also met this girl. We became good friends, but she had a razor-sharp tongue to match her wit. She's a better person than she lets on, but most of the time she knows how to bring you down and hit you where it hurts, physically, mentally and emotionally. She knew how to twist the world and wrap it around her little finger using her monstrous political skills. Her bark was just as bad as or sometimes even worse than her bite, so you had to develop an edge of your own if you didn't want to become a groveling mess every day."

That, in essence, described the opinions and experiences of the majority of the people who were close to the frightening woman named Rin Tohsaka.

That certainly made an impression on all of those present and IF shakily says, "Wow… She sounds a bit scary…"

I laugh at the hilarious irony playing out right in front of me. "I should probably mention that she sounds exactly like IF. That's why I was so startled when we first bumped into her back at the caves."

All of them become silent before Neptune bursts into fits of laughter and shouts, "HAHAHAHA! Ai-chan's a scary lady!"

IF becomes flustered and glares at Neptune , then me, shouting words in an expression so, so familiar. "The hell?-! Shirou, you better not be making this crap up!"

I put a hand on my chin and sagely reply, "You're right. You sound like her, but she's a bit less of a tomboy and she's certainly much more well-mannered and polite."

That sets IF off into another one of the angry moments that make her remind of the feisty little mage so much. "You jerkass! I'll get you back for this, I swear it!"

"Yeah, she says that too, especially to me but without the profane language. Not helping your case, by the way."

As IF's glare continues to grow more threatening, Chian roars in laughter. "Lord, Emiya, you and your group are the most entertaining bunch I've met in a while!" Calming down, she smiles at us and says, "Thanks for that. Helps me take my mind off the troubles."

"Glad to know we please and entertain, Chian," feeling very elated at managing to tease IF as a girl with Rin's voice and the fact that I managed to cheer up Chian, and also very pleased at the fact that I am not the source of everyone's entertainment through my predicaments.

"Anyway, let's talk about getting you another job." Pressing a few buttons on her phone, she sends another message to all of us with a new map. "I need you to go to the shop located on that map and get some materials from Chevre, one of our suppliers. He's in the next town, so leave as soon as you're prepared, OK?"

"Broadcasting public information from the Basilicom."

Just as we are about to accept, a public announcement interrupts us.

"After discussions amongst Basilicom representatives, this year's Technology Exposition has been cancelled."

At those words, everything stops. I turn to look at the radio with a mixed expression of shock, suspicion and anger. Compa's mouth drops open and she cups it, Neptune and IF's eyes widen, and Chian…

Oh god…

"WHAT!"

She wasn't ready, she can't accept those words as she stands up and bangs her fists on the table.

The radio continues the dreaded declaration. "The Sanctuary announced that this is due to a decreased number of exhibitors. However, the civil committee speculates that the Parliament may have pressured the Sanctuary into the cancellation of this traditional event."

I have to admit, these people are incredible. They managed to completely ignore any of the potential repercussions of their aggressive actions and just went through with it, blind. Do they have any idea what will happen if only one company should monopolize this industry, especially _theirs_?

Though I wonder… Was I partly responsible for this? Should I have controlled my temper and rage better before?

Or maybe…

_No._

"So… this was planned from the very start…" I tell all my companions of what I got from this shocking revelation, cold and emotionless. "Look at us. We're betting everything on winning the Expo. And many other companies are too. So instead of breaking them right away, they let them pour every resource, every asset into their last bit of hope and then, right when it begins to take shape, they smash it and take everything away, leaving them battered and unable to go on… Unbelieveable."

Seething with fury, malice dripping from every word in her voice, Chian screams, "Are you kidding me?-! We can't wait for four more years! All the factories will be long gone by then!"

Silence for a few moments, then a distraught, resigned sentence and the tired slumping of a body.

"This was probably the last chance my factory had…"

"Chian…" Compa, compassionate and heartbroken, tries to console the tired president.

"… We'll be back in a few days, Chian. We'll get all of Chevre's materials for you when you're ready." I stand up and begin to open the door. "… Don't give up, Chian. Though I won't even try to convince you that I understand what you're going through, know that, just like you, people have tried to destroy everything that I stood for, worked for and fought for in life. They all failed."

As everyone silently ponders my words and Chian slowly raises her head from the table, I continue, "They've almost succeeded with you. But so did the people who I fought against. Don't give them a chance to." I turn back to her and smile.

"You said you would be counting on us. And you said we wouldn't disappoint. And I told you we never would."

The rest of the party brightens up and nods at my words.

"He's right Chian! We'll all be here to help out!"

"Chian, we'll do our best for you!"

"Ah well. Yet another delay for our mission…"

Chian, overcome with gratitude, can only mouth out, "Thank you everyone… Thank you so much…"

"Again, glad to have helped." With that I call my friends and tell her, "I suggest you rest, Chian. Don't get burned out from all of this. When we have those parts from Chevre, we can start hammering out a plan again. Recuperate so you can get your strength back, body and mind. It'll be better for all of us." She quietly nods at me, and with that my three friends and I leave Chian's humble abode.

***SCENE BREAK***

"So… what do we do now, Shi-kun?"

Now in the Central City, the four of us discuss our plans for our next course of action.

"We can't exactly rely on Chian for help," I tell all of them. "so… what do you suggest IF?"

The brunette folds her arms, closes her eyes and begins contemplating this. "I think we ought to focus on gathering information now. We're seriously behind on our quest to gather the Key Fragments, so…"

"Shi-kun, look over there! It's a crying lady!"

I jerk my head in the direction points at, and we both run up to find out what's wrong.

"My little boy… He's wandered off into the mines!"

Quick as a flash, I narrow my eyes and, my voice filled with seriousness and concern, ask, "Where exactly are the mines? Can you give us any other details about your son's appearance?" Still distraught, the mother tells us, "Short brown hair in a style just like yours, young man… He was wearing his favorite blue shirt and shorts as well… The mines are just in that direction," the lady says as she points south. "Please… find him before he gets hurt!"

"Done, obaa-san," I tell the crying lady. "We'll be heading out now. You'll see your son soon." Neptune raises her thumb and declares confidently, "Yup! You'll totally see your little toddler again!" Overcome with gratitude, she tearily replies, "Oh, how can I ever thank you…"

"No need, obaa-san," I tell her. "Helping people is its own reward." I bid her farewell and walk back to my comrades. "Well… I suppose that's our plan."

"Didn't you hear what I just said?-!" IF angrily shouts. "I told you, we're behind on searching for the Key Fragments! We have to focus on getting the Fragments!"

Though I can understand her logic I shake my head. "No. We have to help the people while we can. This is a child, IF. We can't just abandon him to monsters." Compa nods and says, "He's right, Ai-chan! We set out on this quest to save the world! We can't do that if we can't even help the people in front of us!" Quoting her grandfather yet again, she says, "Ojii-chan always said, 'you must learn to walk before you can run'!"

But that doesn't shake IF. "So what? Babies get eaten all the time. It's survival of the fittest. I'll leave you all behind if you keep dilly-dallying, you know?"

She said it so casually, but those words make me furrow my brows and frown at how callous they were.

"You can't do that, IF. You can't go on this journey alone. We all need to stick together if we want to do this. It might be hard for you to accept, but that's how we are." IF continues to angrily stare me down. "Why are you so stubborn about this?-! You don't have to help them anyway!" I coldly remind her, "IF… Do you remember my dream? Of making everyone happy, of protecting everyone?" IF rolls her eyes and shouts, "Shirou, I did say that wasn't a bad way to live, but now you have to cut out the crap! It's impossible to make everyone happy or protect everyone! That's just idealism!"

With those words, a hint of anger enters my voice.

Those are the words of Archer. Those are the words of Gilgamesh.

Those are words that contradict and oppose my ideals. Those are words that make light of my battles to uphold them, my battles against people who mock my whole life as Emiya Shirou, battles I have triumphed in. I can accept that.

What breaks my heart is the fact that I hear Rin's voice saying these words to me, one of the women who supported and believed in me even through all the pain and suffering it brought her.

I just… I just can't accept that.

"Idealism it is, IF, but those are my ideals. I've spent my entire life upholding them, even though many other people have said those very words to me," I tell her, a steel edge entering my own voice as IF holds her ground, but I can tell she became uneasy. "Fine then. You want to know why I'm like this? Remember when I told you that I had 'just a bit' of amnesia? I'll tell you everything now. When I was five, a fire erupted in my town. Many lives were lost that day, probably including my own family." The others become stricken with grief and IF's eyes widen. "I was supposed to die too. And yet, a man saved my life, against all odds. I saw the look on his face, the tears and the smile that made it look as though he was the one who was saved and I thought to myself 'I want to be that happy.' And then I found out I was the only survivor out of all of them, and that I lost all memory of my life before that day."

Neptune and Compa give me sympathetic, sorrowful looks while IF looks down at the ground. "That man became my father for the next five years and from him I earned the desire to be an 'ally of justice', somebody who protects others' happiness, even at the cost of his own life. He died five years later, and I swore that I would continue to honor his memory through upholding his dream, trying to make it a reality. Many people have laughed at me, mocked me, spit in my face and tried to kill me for trying to do that. Here I am now, standing right in front of you, still believing in them, trying to convince you of all people about it. That's why I'm so stubborn about it."

I begin to head to the mines, walking slowly and without looking at her. "If you still want to leave us… I'm sorry. It was great travelling with you, and I would've wanted you to stay. I don't know how I'll be able to handle these two without any of us ever thinking about you regretfully. But… I can't stop you, I suppose. We'll help out the boy now."

Finished, I continue heading towards my destination. Neptune and Compa hesitate for a moment before they follow me.

Wordlessly, the brunette follows us as well, her head towards the ground the entire time.

***SCENE BREAK***

The mission passes by without any of us barely saying a word. I don't even care about the fact that it's yet another crystal cave.

The monsters fall swiftly as we search for the boy. We've nearly reached the end of the cave, and I fear what may have happened to him.

Mysteriously, we find some other dead creatures here as well. Perhaps we were not the first the woman has sent for us. Perhaps they might have even found the boy already and sent him home before we could find him. But I just want to make sure.

Soon, we find yet another dead monster and decide to take a break for a bit.

"Nep-ko, Compa… Can you… watch out for monsters over there? Shirou and I will take a look."

IF's somewhat quiet suggestion meets no objections, and the other two leave, telling us to call if we need them.

We walk up to the monster, another Cockatrice. Its wounds show signs of weapons not from Lastation… And yet, they remind me of some I've seen before, I just don't have the state of mind to remember…

"Err… Shirou… Can we talk?"

I glance at the brunette for a moment and reply, "Yes? What is it?"

Gently, she looks down at the ground again and says, "I… I'm sorry for what I said back there, I didn't know and I didn't mean to…"

"Don't. It's OK."

The brunette is surprised at this. She slowly raises her head to see me smiling at her.

"I apologize as well. I was a bit too harsh, and I can see the logic behind your words. I just couldn't take what you said beforehand, and that set me off for a bit. Besides, you may have been right, the boy just might have been returned to his mother already. We didn't have to go here."

"N-no, it's OK… I went a bit out of line as well. I said all of that not even knowing what you've been through… and you're right. I did say it wasn't a bad way to live. And it's a beautiful dream." Taking a deep breath she says, "So... even after all I said to you… will you still let me travel with you?"

When I look at her acting like this… She looks so adorable. I really feel bad about talking down to her like that.

Without hesitation, I offer her my hand again, just like at the beginning of our journey. "You didn't even have to ask."

"Thanks Shirou," She says, shaking my hand.

All is forgiven, and things are back to normal.

Which allows me a bit of leeway to play with her a bit…

"You know, you ought to act like this more, you know? It's actually pretty cute." I smirk as I tease her just a tiny bit. She becomes flustered at this and shouts, "Hey, don't insult me! And don't get used to this, I was just doing this to make up to you! It's not like I wanted to keep travelling with the rest of you guys…"

My smile becomes a little wider at those words. "You really are like Tohsaka, you know that? Even she acts like this, and like I said it's just so adorable." IF blushes at this and looks away from me, not saying another word.

I would point out that Rin does that too, but I know my limits. Last time I tried to do this to Saber playing with the little lion doll I gave her, I was paid back with a growl from Invisible Air. IF might actually get a little stabby with those claws of hers at this point, and I really don't need that right now…

We hear the sound of footsteps and an inquisitive voice saying, "Civilians? What are you doing out here?"

We turn around to face her, but we freeze up at the sight.

A white haired girl with an all black outfit that doesn't cover her body very well… That in itself would disturb us, or indeed most people who aren't male perverts, but what really gets us are her eyes.

There are white bars in her blue-green eyes, right where her irises would be…

She's Black Heart.

This could either be the solution to all our problems…

Or the cause a very severe new one.

I have to calm down so as to not raise suspicion. "We aren't civilians… we were trying to look for a young boy that wandered off here. Did you see him already?"

The goddess pauses before replying, "Oh, the kid. I took care of him already, he's back home. No need to thank me."

Both of us give a great sigh of relief, though I give IF a sheepish look while she grins at me victoriously. "Well thanks anyway. That's good to know." Looking towards me again, her intentions clear, I nod at her and she asks, "Can we ask a small favor from you?"

Black Heart looks at us curiously, thinks about it for a moment and says, "Sure, but I heard there was this purple-haired girl with weird clothes that was supposed to be here. Might I know her name and where she is?"

And just like that the tension rises again in both of us. Shit, she must be back to finish what she started during the Console War…

I sincerely hope that isn't the case. Even now, as her land suffers like this , she still focuses on competing with the other goddesses?

Deciding that we should leave now, I compose myself and tell her, "Her name's Tsu…"

"Ai-chan, Shi-kun, what's taking so long? What're you two doing?"

I jerk my head and of course I am very alarmed to see the very person who shouldn't either be talking or walking in here do both alongside Compa, blissfully unaware of the danger she's in and the trouble she's caused.

Black Heart notices as well, her face hardening at seeing Neptune. The latter walks in and when she arrives, she stares at her fellow CPU, her expression contemplative and rather odd. "Hm? Do… Do I know you from somewhere?"

Traces of her memory are still present… She hasn't lost everything, it seems…

With a smirk, Lastation's goddess smugly tells her, "Sure, I get it Neptune, you want to avoid fighting these outsiders. Pretty rational." She then tenses up and says, "B-but I'm not praising you. You think I'm just here to say hi?"

What the hell? We have another tsundere, who's doing an even worse job than IF at keeping that a secret? This is the goddess of the 'Dignified Black Land'?

… Is she going to be another Rin?

"Let's settle this Neptune!"

At those words, Black Heart materializes a black double-bladed sword, split at the middle, and tries to slash the exiled goddess.

Before she can reach her, however, I swiftly dash up in front of our companion CPU and block the strike with my bokutou, reinforced with more od to compensate for the goddess' sword, holding off my startled opponent's weapon.

"Y-you blocked it with just a wooden sword… How is that possible?-!"

Pouring od into the blade, I shout, "Black Heart, stop this! We just want to talk to you!"

Neptune's eyes widen at my words. "So that's… Black Heart…"

She seems to recognize her this much… What was their relationship, I wonder…

"I have no time for words! Just let me get her!"

So she's being stubborn… This is ridiculous.

"I'm afraid I can't let you harm this girl, Black Heart…"

A swift kick to her side from IF emphasizes our point.

"And I'm not the only one who thinks so."

Knocked away from Neptune due to the impact, Black Heart rights herself and grits out, "Fine! I'll take all of you on! It won't make a difference at all!"

Unfortunately for her, she's very wrong. She's surrounded on all sides, so we can even keep our little trump card, aside from my magecraft, a secret.

Said bearer of trump card, a certain purple-haired girl, dashes up to our foe and meets her head on, crashing her new beam saber, a weapon that is naught but a simple black handle normally but emits eerie yellow energy in the shape of a sword with the flick of a switch, against her rival's, her face bright at the excitement of battle, which is returned by an arrogant smirk from her naïve opponent.

"Not even transforming… are you crazy?" said opponent insults her.

"Nyope!" Neptune gleefully replies, eliciting curious glances from Black Heart.

At least that's what I think would happen, seeing that I struck her from behind with my own slash and am thus unable to see her expression. This makes the black goddess flinch as she turns to face me, but she instead receives a painful spinning kick to her torso from her other attacker, sending her flying yet again. As she performs a handstand ukemi to recover immediately, she blocks an overhead strike from me. She tries to hold me off, but I neither relent nor try to force through.

This standoff leaves Black Heart wide open for IF to get another kick in, and a few slices with her claws. At this point, our opponent desperately tries to take the offensive, but due to Compa's shots throwing her off her rhythm at exactly the wrong moments for her, she can't do so effectively.

Gnashing her teeth, Black Heart shouts, "Stop annoying me!" With that, she suddenly pulls out a pistol…

... Oh my god. She might be _another Rin. _ Rin's a great girl, yeah, but I already have IF with me! Goddammit, I can barely handle one trigger-happy tsundere, let alone two!

This is the feeling I get when I feel that Sakura's becoming too much like her older sister…

But enough semantics about potential problems. I need to focus on the immediate ones, like the risk of having my head blown off.

So, Rin expy number two… I mean, Black Heart, begins shooting at Compa. Somehow, the nurse manages to see it coming and runs to the side…

And trips.

Of course.

This would normally alarm me greatly, but the fall actually allowed Compa to avoid the bullets long enough for me to interrupt our foe (Typical...), who quickly holsters her sidearm as fast as she can and blocks my slash, but this leaves her open to an impressive combination from Neptune, who mixes up her sword and unarmed attacks by doing her own slice with the beam sword, lifting Black Heart into the air with an uppercut then leaps into the air and slamming her down with a pair of kicks.

That didn't last long at all. Our enemy is exhausted and donw on the floor, while the four of us are relatively unhurt, aside from Compa, ironically. That fall scratched her a bit due to the rocky floor, but not too badly. Neptune didn't even have to transform at all.

That must be extremely frustrating for Black Heart, given that just about a week ago, Neptune was banished from the upper world with ease…

"How is this possible… How did you suddenly get so strong since falling from Celestia?" She wonders with the kind of emotions you'd expect: annoyed, frustrated, and of course very angry.

"Well, we beat up so many monsters, so we got a ton of experience points!"

As usual, IF and I give Neptune deadpan looks, while Compa just smiles nervously. Obviously, this would piss off anyone looking for a logical explanation. "I'm serious!"

"Well, it is true," I explain to the infuriated Black Heart. "She did gain a lot of battle experience fighting the creatures that surround both her city and yours, Black Heart. Shouldn't you at least give her a thank you for that?"

The goddess narrows her eyes at me, her head still full of heat. "W-wha?-! No I don't! I-it's not like she's made my job easier in any way…" She then remembers who she's talking to and shouts, "And who are you?-! You blocked all my attacks and got through my armor with nothing but a bokutou! How the hell did you do that!"

Before I can introduce myself (and tell her that well, her armor is easy to get through because it's just a goddamn plugsuit that barely covers half her body), Neptune happily interrupts, "Oh, this is Shi-kun! He saved me from crashing into the ground on my noggin! He's an ally of justice and my superhero!"

Aww… She actually considers me her hero…

Black Heart is filled with disbelief at the circumstances of the beginning of our journey. "You saved a goddess that was falling from _Celestia_?-!"

I give her a proud smirk. "Well, I had to help. She _was _falling pretty fast." As Black Heart lets her jaw drop, I simply kneel down and hold out my hand, assuring her apologetically, "I'm sorry… we don't want to hurt you. We just want to talk to you and get your assistance. Do you need any help getting up?"

For some reason, I feel odd killing intent surge up from behind me…

At my offer, Black Heart just stares at me. For the next few seconds, silence overtakes the conversation until she suddenly blushes and shouts, "N-no I don't! I-it's not like I need your help or was touched by your words in any way!"

…

Tsunderes. Difficult people.

Especially the women.

Before I can respond however, Black Heart gets up and speeds away, yelling, "Th-this won't be the last you'll see of me! You haven't seen my true power yet!"

"Wait…!"

But it's too late. She flew away, out of the reach of my extended arm, casting odd looks at all of us.

Her last glance is at me. An unreadable expression of frustration is on her face, but I don't see any malice... There's even just a tiny bit of admiration and even a bit of redness.

In all honesty… It's a little cute.

What does it mean, I wonder…

But this still looks bad.

"Well… I hope this won't affect our chances of her helping us."

I turn to the rest. "Say Neptune… What exactly was your relationship with the goddess Black Heart?" IF, somehow managing to calm down, crosses her arms and asks with much alarm, "Yeah… Did you like, see her flame shots or something? She really looked like she was out to get you!"

I have no idea what flame shots are, but the cold feeling running up my spine suggests that I may be better off not knowing what these possibly scandalous images are…

"I, I don't know… All I remember is that she suggested banishing one of the goddesses from Celestia by this weird process of elimi- something! So yeah, I was the last one they wanted there, so…"

"I see… So the plot thickens. So we know how you got here. Now the question is why…" So the goddesses chose Neptune to be the catalyst of the War's end… Why her then? Was she not competent? That doesn't make sense, considering her… OK, her other personality. Or maybe… She really wasn't a goddess to be proud of.

I shake my head. "Well… No sense in getting too hung up on it." I begin walking out of the mines. "Come on then girls. Let's go back to the apartment." The others agree with me but IF wonders, "Man, I really hope this won't hurt our chances with her…"

"Well…" I turn to the gunclaw user and tell her, "This is just our first encounter. And considering her determination, it's not going to be the last. We'll just have to win her over to the best of our ability." For her own contribution, Compa asks with a depressed tone, "But what will happen if we don't Shirou-san?"

That makes me stand still and lose my smile. Everything rides on Black Heart's cooperation. If we lose that...

"Well, we'll just have to hope we do."

I try to assure her.

In truth, her innocent question disturbed me. I have no answer to give.

"Ah, don't worry about that guys!" Neptune yells, bumping her chest and giving us a proud expression. "We'll get her for sure! She'll help us out in a jiffy!"

"Need I point out you're the reason that we have problems with her, or the fact you're the reason we're here in the first place?" I tease, smiling despite all the implications. Chuckling just a teeny bit, IF joins in. "That's true. You're kind of the reason we're on this journey in the first place."

Neptune sheepishly rubs her head while the rest of us share a small laugh. We begin heading back to the apartment when I suddenly start shuddering, and when I turn around I see a terrifying aura surrounding the girls.

"So, Shirou, what were you doing with Black Heart again?"

Ah shit. I knew they calmed down too quickly…

***SCENE BREAK***

After managing to survive yet another interrogation (By telling them that we needed to get on Black Heart's good side, though in truth it was because I just wanted to help her up and that's the kind of response that prompts immediate backlash), we had to take a bit of a detour before heading back to our humble abode here since we were asked to investigate a damaged area within the central city. We weren't really tired, so we decided to help out a bit.

"Hey, have any of you heard of the mysterious monsters appearing in Lastation?"

IF's question catches our attention as we reach the site. To be honest, it doesn't really look all that bad, so we can take a bit of a break for now…

Delighted at the prospect of meeting a new enemy, Neptune excitedly declares, "Ooh, are they tough? Super tough?-! What kind of beasts are we talking about here?-!" Meanwhile, I curiously probe, "Well, this could be important. What do you know about them, IF?"

Folding her arms again, IF gives us what knowledge she has of the enemy. "Well, all I know is that they attack in groups while making weird noises…"

I give IF a blank look. "Wow. Helpful. That doesn't apply to any other monster I know of... except for perhaps nearly all of them." IF irritatedly retorts, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, sorry..."

Sighing, I tell her, "Well, so what else do we... What was that?"

That strange sound, a combination of barks and buzzes…

"Did anybody else hear a 'weird noise' just now?" I ask the rest, my hands slowly reaching for my weapon as I prepare to face the enemy.

Not alarmed in the slightest, Neptune misconstrues my words as a joke and replies, "Oh come on Shi-kun! Don't try to scare us like that!"

Suddenly, a symphony of robotic howls echoes throughout the empty site. Shit, we're surrounded!

"I-it's an ambush! Get ready everyone!" IF, a bit frightened, tells us to ready our weapons, which we brandish.

I can't detect them! They're closing in on us, and I can't sense any hostile intent from them! Are these creatures truly beyond the scope of what we've faced before…?

Shit, no time! I have to do this now!

"Trace o-!"

"Arf Arf!"

I freeze in the middle of my chanting and turn to see that our enemies…

Are just a bunch of robot dogs.

… I nearly gave up the secrecy of my identity as a dimensional traveler and a magus for THIS?

"… Oh wow, that was embarrassing. I got worked up over a bunch of mechanical pets," I sheepishly tell the party, luckily so focused on our harmless foes that they didn't quite catch me chanting.

"Oh wow! Aren't these the robot dogs that were popular a few years back?" Compa wonders out loud. "Huh, never knew nothin' 'bout it," Neptune tells us, a little disappointed but staring happily at the group of bolted barkers. Calming herself again IF understands the situation and tells us, "Well that would explain a lot. These pet robots were abandoned by the people when the trend died down a few years back."

Having composed myself, I recall what this could mean and remember that Sony had a brief stint with the AIBO series of mechanical pets, which they discontinued. Their technology is still being used and the products supported, but it's kind of sad to see them go.

Neptune, having gotten over the disappointment of not being able to fight, cheerily shouts to us, "Aww, they're not threatening at all! Look at how they're wagging their tails and being all nice and stuff!"

As if to prove her point, one of the dogs walks up to our entranced little goddess and whimpers piteously, though the addition of beeps adds a nice touch.

Apparently unable to hold back anymore, Neptune squats and pets the mechanical canine on the head, purring out, "Hehehe… There, there. I know you're just lonely, ArfArf. It's OK, come over here to Mama Neptune…"

As Neptune cuddles up with the precocious metal mutt, Compa cups her hands together and gushes, "Oh, isn't Nep-Nep so adorable!" Sighing, IF deadpans, "Yeesh... looks like they've found their newest pack member, huh?" I cross my arms and give a resigned smile at the sight. "Yes, that's very true. Makes you wonder which one is the stray here."

Continuing to observe the exchange, my smile becomes affectionate, endeared even.

No matter what she was before… This is Neptune now, our ditzy, airheaded, klutzy, childish and adorable little purple-haired loli who also happens to be one of the most powerful beings in this world.

That's all that matters to us.

And we wouldn't have had it any other way.


	7. Author's apology

Author's note:

For those who thought this would be a new chapter for Fate Neptunia, this note was not meant to troll or insult you.

This is a very important notification. I'm going to rewrite FN.

I haven't heard (or read) any complaints yet, but I'm pretty sure some people are wondering what exactly Dimensional Travelers is or what the hell it's all about. So, with much consideration, Shirou's journey through Gamindustri will be his first adventure, which should serve to enlighten you all about what they really do.

You'll also see how exactly Shirou was shown all the different routes of the Grail War and the state of his life after hollow ataraxia (which, since I have not seen completely, have modified the canon so that they stay after the four day time loop caused by Avenger.)

Lastly, I'd like to apologize to all the reviewers especially NeoZangetsu, Taromaru, InfinityAtmo and MasterWarlord for all their support and suggestions.

I'll be sure to make up for all this. See you when I update again.


	8. Note

OK everyone, the prologue will be up soon. This story has officially been named Fate/Draft to signify that it's the original idea. The real one is on its way…

Enjoy guys. Thanks for waiting.


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